The Phantom King
by Jezmaiya
Summary: Abandoned and shunned by everyone he ever trusted, Kuroko Tetsuya transfers out of Seirin and disappeared from the spotlight of the basketball world. Two months later, the media buzzes of a new rising basketball dark horse, famously dubbed as the Phantom King. In this world, coincidences didn't exist. (Winner of my poll, a story of vegeance and regret. Another dark Kuroko tale).
1. Chapter 1

**(Author's Note):** _So I've been away for a long time, I know that but right after I wrapped up Arcana Ascends, I left two starter chapters for ID and The Ring but fear not, I am working on them as we speak. ID making more progress but unfortunately on my computer, a device I rarely use to write so I'll try and get that out soon. The reason behind my disappearance is simple: I'm an A-level student that completed her AS exams, my mocks were in Feb, the beginning of my hiatus till May/June before i was whisked away on a summer visiting universities. Unfortunately for me, I'll have to sit for a few more papers in October/November to come so I won't be as active as I had been, I'll probably only come back to life during my Christmas hols in December._

 _So, for my other stories... I hate to admit it, but I've come up with a writer's block for everything but The Shadow (story's planned out, you're good Shadow fanatics but I need to actually write it). As for everything else, I'll probably have to think plots and ideas again, I do have a general idea of where I want the stories to go though. Right... What else? OH YEAH, The Extra Game, may I just say that I wrote this before the sequel actually came out and the shock I had when I read it because (shall not state as it may be a spoiler). Anyway, here it is... THE WINNING STORY OF MY POLL: CHAPTER ONE/PROLOGUE OF THE PHANTOM KING._

 _I shall try to update when the next chapter is written up._

* * *

They just stared.

The audience sat in absolute silence, stunned by the game before them. The school were just new to the local tournaments and competitions, people knew they were good since they had played in world tournaments and expected the game to be an easy win for them. But they didn't know they were that _**good**_.

 _"They're like the Generation of Miracles and the Uncrowned Kings,"_

 _"No, they're even better! They might even be better than Seirin! Especially with their Captain."_

Murmurs began to break out amoung the audience. "Wait a minute, doesn't the Captain look really familiar?" One person voiced out.

 _"He looks like someone I've seen play before."_

 _"Wow, whoever he is, he's like a King now, with all those new moves."_

People began to gossip, but he remained unfazed as he took a sip of water from his white bottle. Their words meant nothing to him anymore, he was a changed person. He stood up, strong and tall, a white towel wrapped around his neck as he stood by the team's bench. His chest heaved up and down, but his body remained still as his heart pounded a calm rhythm. He wasn't tired, he was sweating but it was only natural. "Captain," he turned to the source of the voice as his teammates faced him. His soldiers, his loyal companions. "The bus is waiting."

His hand moved as he gently tugged on the end of the white towel, he felt its long body slowly brush fully around his neck before falling. With a flick of a wrist, he slung it over his shoulder. His free hand slinging his bag over the very same shoulder, in his other hand, he held his water bottle. "Lets go, it's not polite to keep Mister Jefferson waiting," He said. He placed the mouth of the bottle against his lips as he walked, the air around him different as his teammates followed obediently behind him. The crowd watched as the team walked in a single straight line, cameras snapped photographs frantically of this new rising legend as they walked unaffected.

Behind their Captain, they followed him with looks of pride and happiness on their faces. The audience could see it -the trust they placed in that Phantom, how much faith they had in him? It was like watching a King and his court of Knights. Was their bond that strong?

As he walked, his eyes turned briefly to glance at the scoreboard. 179-2, the win for St. Lincoln International Prep Academy, or just Lincoln Academy for short. He smiled as he walked. He knew he was mad, corrupt... _**Everything they had been**_. But who could blame him? He finally caved in to his desires. That desire to destroy them, to win everything... He lusted for it. It drove him mad, sent him deeper and deeper into that deep dark void of insanity, but nobody other than him needed to know that little secret of his.

He had created a world that he belonged in, had a team that would follow his ever command without objection. A place where his word was law, and all others were simply minions beneath him.

It was beautiful.

He was a King, better yet: he was the Phantom King.

"The Phantom King," he mused as he watched the tournament stadium fade away in the distance, he tested the title upon his lips before smiling satisfied with the sound and feeling. "I like it."

 _Disclaimer: I do not own anything as usual._

 _Written by: Jezmaiya_

 _ **The Phantom King.**_

 _(Another book about vengeance and darkness)_

Lincoln Academy, the world's number one boarding international school for foreigner students, it's main campus based in Japan, hidden and surrounded by a sleepy seaside town that served as a city escspe. However, there were some exceptions to that rule, and he was one of them. He stood before his mirror, adjusting his red tie around his neck. He reached for the white vest hanging on the hook before slipping it over his black dress shirt and tie. The student finished off his uniform by wearing his white blazer jacket, fastening the cufflinks and buttons as he stepped back and lightly dusted his white long pants. He stared, satisfied by his reflection before there was a knock on his dormitory door. "It's open," He said, hands gathering his books for today's lessons on his dresser.

The door opened as petite girl walked onto sight, his eyes gazed at her through the reflection of his mirror as he lightly ran his hand through his hair, styling it to the left. "They're waiting in the library," the girl said softly in a hushed tone, her eyes blank as she stared right back at him, gaze unwavering.

A smile slipped onto his face as he reached out to grab his morning school books of his dresser. "Excellent," he told her. "Thank you, Ume-chan."

The girl, Hoshina Ume nodded quietly. "Perhaps you should greet them," suggested the girl. "It's only polite."

He smiled as he opened his room door, walking out, Ume following behind him as they made their way to the school's library. "Perhaps I should."

.

.

.

Yukio Kasamatsu looked nervously around the building, paper clutched tightly in his hand as sweat dripped down his neck. He was feeling nervous, something that really happened to him. Here he was, standing inside the grand library of St. Lincoln International Academy, a world renown school, legendary for exceeding in almost anything they do. He'll be honest. He had the shock of his life when he opened his letterbox to see a cream envelope sealed with a red wax seal, the St. Lincoln crest of pegasus and lion stamped over the surface. He had practically died the moment he read the contents of the letter. A high authority member on the student board was offering him an opportunity of the lifetime. An all expensed education at the academy's higher education department with access transfers abroad to UK; Australia and America. It was a dream come true for him. The letter had stated for him to met the President of Student Council here at the school's library today, at this very moment.

Kasamatsu took a deep breath as he glanced around the place, he squirmed slightly as he noted the amount of foreign beauties that seemed to grace this campus. Most of the students here were definitely foreigners, beautiful ones at that. "Now things just got interesting," an all familiar voice said as the former Kaijo captain stared at the group of people before him. "It's been a while." The same person from before, the ex-captain of Touou Academy's basketball team, Imayoshi Shouichi said as the bespectacled man raised a hand in greeting, that killer smile of his irking Kasamatsu slightly.

"Tch, you."

"I presume you got a letter too," Imayoshi lifted a similar envelope identical to Kasamatsu as he gestured to the people beside him.

Kasamatsu stared at the other two people, they were both ex-captains. "I'm beginning to think that this isn't a coincidence at all." He raised a palm to his face, he could feel his blood pressure beginning to rise again.

"Clearly," spoke up Shutuko's ex-captain, "somebody definitely wanted us all here."

Okamaru smiled. "All except Rakuzen's captain of course." He added lightly.

There was a cough as all eyes turned to see a grey haired teen. "I believe that I would be representing that school." Mayuzumi Chihiro spoke up as all four ex-captains jumped slightly.

'When was he there?' The other captains couldn't help but wonder.

"I'll admit I was surprised myself, I didn't think anybody even knew I existed." Said Mayuzumi, staring at the letter addressed to him longingly. "The only person that seems to be missing would be the representative from Seirin." He added.

The other basketball players glanced around before realising that the former Rakuzan player was right. There was nobody from Seirin here. Imayoshi seemed to grin even more, "Interesting, considering what recently happened within Seirin's team and the Generation of Miracles." He said.

It was no secret to what had gone down after Winter Cup inside the Seirin team. Everyone talked about it, how their phantom had walked out on the team, and disappeared. It didn't help either that the rainbow crew practically caused the spark that destroy the phantom's pride. It left everyone buzzing. Nobody knew where he went. Not even Akashi.

Kasamatsu wasn't proud of what Kise had done under his watch, in fact, it disgusted him and wished that he could have done something to punish the blonde fool, but he couldn't. "It makes me wonder where the poor guy went," said Kasamatsu.

The temperature of the room dropped, it sudden but they could feel the presence of another amoung them. Their bodies froze as they heard a soft chuckle."Well it warms my heart that you care," a monotonous voice said as all five turned to stare at the source, their eyes widened at the all familiar face. His hair was slightly longer, and he might have grown a little taller but they was no denying those blank cold eyes and that cool shade of teal that gleamed of his orbs. "Welcome potential, future scholarship students," he said, bowing politely as if nothing had ever happened between them. "President Kuroko Tetsuya at your service."

"You're the President?" Asked Kasamatsu startled, his throat suddenly feeling very dry. "Wait a minute..." He trailed off, recalling a little details he's heard about the recent rumors that had been spreading quickly around the basketball circuit about a mysterious new king, a dark king. "Doesn't the Phantom King attend Lincoln Academy?"

Imayoshi's smile only widened to match his fox like features, "A pleasure to meet you, your majesty." He mocked as they all understood the hidden meaning beneath his words. The Phantom King was a basketball dark horse, rising recently with all the media attention turned on him. Yet despite all the attention he was receiving, his name was never released, his photograph had never been clear enough to identify a face to place with a confirmed name, the only source ever confirmed was that he came from this very school. The Generation of Miracle's sixth Phantom man disappeared one day, a short while later, this guy appears. There was no denying the fact before them now: _**Kuroko Tetsuya was the Phantom**_ _ **King.**_

"So this is where you went," said Mayuzumi. He stared at the younger boy, both their faces impassive. "So why us? Why me?" He asked. 'Why would you invite me, your replacement?' Was the true question he desired to ask.

Kuroko chuckled, they stared at him slightly taken back as a light smile graced his emotionless face. "Don't flatter yourself, Mayuzumi, even though you replaced me, I've already become the shadow that has overcomed the light." His face was cold, serious and deadly, giving no emotion away. "You can try as hard as you want, whatever you throw at me, I will send it back, but ten times harder. No matter what you do, or what you try, you will lose. You will fail. Always."

Mayuzumi felt fear awaken from deep within. Kuroko was... _Different_. His words stunned them. When they think of him, they remember the phantom that always believed in teamwork and never gave up... So who was this person standing before them? "Are you really Kuroko Tetsuya?" Asked Mayuzumi, warily.

Kuroko smirked, his eyes glinted. "Only in the flesh." He teased, chuckling softly to himself.

There was cough behind him, "Sir," they looked to see a girl with porcelain skin, and locks of pale icy blonde hair. They hadn't noticed her before. Her eyes were light grey, as they almost faded into her face against her pale skin. "We only have half an hour left." She lightly reminded Kuroko, tapping lightly at the watch strapped to her wrist.

Kuroko stared down at his own wrist, his eyes hardening. "Right," Kuroko clapped his hands together as he gestured for the group to follow behind him. "I better give you a tour of the campus before I have to go." He told them, turning around.

"Wait," Said Kasamatsu. "Why are we here?" He asked seriously.

Kuroko glanced back at him nonchalantly. "To study and play basketball with the University team, of course." He replied simply.

"What's the catch?" Imayoshi added, he was curious and exhilarated. This could turn out to be something rather fun for him. An opportunity to face the generation of miracles again? Why not?

Kuroko turned to face them, "Our high school and University teams are combined when it comes to games that are out of school internal tournaments," he said. "In short, you get another shot of glory at the Interhigh and Winter Cup." Their eyes widened.

"So you want us to play against our old teams?" Asked Kasamatsu.

Imayoshi smirked, "Well if we really think about it, we wouldn't actually make a bad team. We know our old team weaknesses, therefore we can use it to our advantage." He admitted.

"Believe what you want," said Kuroko, his eyes glancing at each one of them. "I have my reasons, and I have a team. You will trialled like every other member, the Coach will pick the teams. There will be no bias. Consider it a fresh start." He told them, a soft smile on his face. "Now, lets go, there are many things on his campus that I'm sure will convince you to join."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Yep, I'm back again. This time to definitely try and finish this story along with **The Shadow** so that I can debut a new book after this (Yeah, I'm just full of ideas right now), I have this story all planned out to chapter 17, and then I'm not so sure where to go... But that's for all you guys to find out and wait, but I can assure you this: The shock factor will be there!

And on that note, please feel free to review and chip in your thoughts and opinions. Thank you so much for your support. Have I mentioned how much fun I had making a cover for this story.

* * *

Girls.

Many beautiful, exotic and rare girls. They just seemed to flood and flock to this campus, Okamaru knew that this school had already won him over. He didn't need to give the decision much though, just the tour of the campus was enough to make him happy. "You appear to be easily won over, but I can't say it would be well in paradise for you, considering how hard it is for you to even come in contact with them with that gorilla like chin of yours. It must be a dream come true for you to even be this near to girls like them." And there it was, the ape reference. Okamaru sighed in defeat, it seemed that wherever he goes -there was a Fukui to follow. In this case, it took the form of none other than Imayoshi Shouichi. The megane bastard, or as he would call him: the four eyed master mind. There were too many names for him to state considering how many flooded around the basketball circuit.

"Well at least I have the perfect eye sight to see them in all their glory." Boasted Okamaru, his cheeks tinted pink as he crossed his arms proudly.

Imayoshi simply looked amused by his answer as he simply smirked back, "Oh didn't you hear? Glasses are the new sexy." He lightly tapped his lenses to emphasize his point.

Kasamatsu sighed, ignoring the two behind him as he concentrated on the tour Kuroko was giving them. They were at the sport coliseum 1# now, apparently the location for just the track and field club. Another reminder of just how prestige this school was, he felt slightly intimidated by all the pressure expected of them if he was to accept Kuroko's invitation. "They really go all out for their sports don't they..." He said, his eyes turned to stare at the back of a teal head who just seemed to keep walking forward.

"No, we just simply enjoy excelling in all fields. I guess you can call it a habit." Kasamatsu could hear the smile practically gleaming in his voice. "We have a theatre but it's down on the west coast of a town close by, performances are for free but please do feel free to donate to our charity boxes around the room." Said Kuroko, his expression plain, his tone deadpanned. It was hard for Kasamatsu to believe that he held such a high role, and even he had to admit -Kuroko truly seemed at eased in it. He supposed it stunned him so much because he just seemed so... Weak in the past. "Don't look so surprised," he told Kasamatsu, speaking out of the blue, his statement catching him off guard as if he had read his previous thought. It said it all in the cool expression of his eyes staring back at him. "People like us have to work hard to exceed. Lincoln has a principle after all: **_Nothing comes easy._ ** They expect nothing but the best from their students, and that means the effort and time they commit to everything we do. No shortcuts, just effort." He murmured the last part to himself but Kasamatsu still heard him, his eyes softening before looking back forward as Kuroko picked up his pace.

Kasamatsu nodded before Kuroko ushered them with a hand to follow him faster as a thought dawned upon Kasamatsu -even though Kuroko was giving them a tour, he was still a high school student **[1]** as well, which meant that he was missing lessons for them. He was about to break into a light jog in attempt to save time before his eyes froze for a moment as they passed a large cathedral, the architecture elegant and beautiful dating back to the European Renaissance era. "Is that just a landmark?" He couldn't help but ask.

Kuroko paused and followed his gaze, "Ava Maria Institute of Virtue, it's another academy under Lincoln." Explained Kuroko. The corners of his lips turned upwards before he curtly added, "It's an all girls school," Okamaru stared at the building with a dumbfounded smile as if he was expecting an angel to descend upon him. "For girls who are _**engaged**_." His hopes came crashing down as Imayoshi patted his back stifling a laugh. Imayoshi had to admit, he liked this new version of Kuroko Tetsuya much better, he just seemed more deviously fun. Unless he's always been this way. If that was the case, he considered it a pity he never got a chance to talk to him before all this had occurred.

After 30 minutes, the clock struck 10, Kuroko returned back to their starting point at the University library. "Thank you for coming, I hope you've enjoyed your tour." Said Kuroko, monotonously and robotically before he turned a perfect 180 degree away from them. They expected him to speak more, or at least tell them more to help convince them to join him, but he didn't. Instead he walked away. Or so he seemed to before he stopped in his steps, tilting his head aside yet not once did his head turn to look back at them. "Think about it carefully..." He spoke, his voice more eerie and deeper. It sent chills down their spine despite their concealed expressions. "One more shot at the Winter Cup," he reminded them lightly, "and one final chance to face the Generation of Miracles." That struck a cord in all of them. They all had previous experiences with them individually. "A little revenge never did any harm." And with that, Kuroko Tetsuya finally left.

Mayuzumi didn't realize he had been holding his breath until he lost sight of the teal haired President. He had thought Rakuzan had a scary Student Council President, he would like to correct his previous statement now as he let out a soft sigh of relief. His grey eyes turned as he stared back at his company, all former captains of well known high schools that had dominated the Winter Cup, and then there was him. The copycat. The odd one out. The outcast for the lot. He hadn't doubted for a second that there was the hidden ulterior motive behind all this, calling them here. Calling him here more specifically. Kuroko Tetsuya wanted something.

"I don't know about you lot but I'm definitely saying a yes to this offer," said Imayoshi, his voice catching the attention of all basketballers in the room. His finger lightly tapped the invitation in his hand before he smirked, "I think I can speak for everyone present here but we would be complete fools to reject his majesty's gracious offer. Besides, I don't know about you, but I wouldn't mind another shot at the Winter Cup, this time loyally serving the Phantom King. After listening to all the rumours and buzz from the media surrounding him, I'm getting the feeling that Kuroko Tetsuya isn't the same person we met last time. He seems stronger, don't you think so?" Imayoshi's words left them all hanging in their thoughts. Each of captain knew it, and they too had to agree. Heck, they weren't given the honour of captain for nothing, even they could sense his growth from the way he held himself and spoke to them head on. Kuroko Tetsuya had definitely changed, gotten stronger, but by how much? That was something that they would have to test through a match. "I don't know about you'll but my parents would kill me too if I reject this offer." He informed them.

Kasamatsu nodded, "I would have to agree with you there." Said the former Kaijo Captain.

"Oh, on what? My incredibly quick assessment on the Phantom King, or the fact that our parents would have our heads for rejecting this educational opportunity to study at a higher level?" Questioned the megane, his grin never once leaving his face.

"Both," injected Otsubo as the former Shutoku captain decided to enter the conversation. He had been quiet throughout the entire tour as he, himself made his own little observations of this whole situation. "I don't see any harm in this offer." The other two that had spoken before nodded. It wasn't long before Okamura made it must that he had to be involved in this discussion of former captains. It went on like that for a while as each voiced their own opinions of agreements, Mayuzumi wasn't surprised when none had questioned his decision. If misdirection served him right, they probably forgot all together that he was even there but inside his mind, he nodded. He too would make the decision to study at Lincoln as well. It seemed to be the best option for his career. If he fails to make it into their basketball team, he would at least have the satisfaction of knowing that he would still be able to study here.

Ume leaned casually behind the bookshelf, her ears recording every single word they said. When the men had all left, she decided that it was time to report her findings. Her feet picked up the pace as she made a beeline for the Presidential office.

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.

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Kuroko sat in his Presidential office, a magician's hat on his desk as his hands casually dipped inside before he pulled out a pure white rabbit. He mused to himself satisfied. It was break time now. After his tour, he had made it back in time to listen in on a ten minute lecture of what was left of his A level literature class **[2]** , but he didn't mind that he had only caught the end of the lecture. He could always find free notes on the plays and poems he had to study on the internet or better yet, watch the movie adaptation of the novels, hence his relative relaxed state.

There was a knock at his door before Ume slide through his door, bowing politely out of habit and respect. "Children's day magic show **[3]**?" Inquired the blond lightly as she glanced at the black hat.

"Practice makes perfect." Replied Kuroko in his usual deadpanned tone, putting his props away and the rabbit back into its cage. "Have they decided?"

Ume nodded, "Yes," she said. "They've all made the decision to study here." From what she deduced, that seemed to be the unanimous decision. However, she was also well aware of the other topic that they had mentioned, the topic that was currently grabbing his next set of books for Geography class once break ended in three minutes.

A grin flickered across his lips as he placed his books down before leaning back in his chair, "Excellent." Things were working out well, now if everything fell smoothly into place, he would get what he wanted.

Ume nodded once more before her eyes flickered to the calendar hanging off the wall to her left, "You have an appointment today at 4pm." Informed Ume, she meant it as a reminder, but her voice said otherwise as she sternly stared at him, daring him to try and miss it.

Kuroko's eyes narrowed to slits as he leaned forward letting out an exasperated sigh, "I'm well aware." His tone was full of dread.

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.

.

At 4pm Kuroko glanced at the white building before him. He hated his predicament but what choice did he have. Taking a deep breath, he pushed through the glass doors as the bright lights of the interior engulfed him.

 _'Help me...'_

* * *

Yep, that's the end of Chapter Two. Tune in for Chapter Three next week! I think I'll be returning to my usual Saturday weekly updates.

 **Notes about Kuroko currently:**

 **[1] Since Kuroko has transferred to an international school, his school is currently following the British school system. Kasamatsu assumes that he is a high school student (which he is) but the international school system is different in a sense as they're not separated into Elementary School, Junior High or High School but one big school system. This takes place one year after Kuroko's first year at Seirin, he's 17 currently, so Kuroko would be in Year 12, also known as Sixth Form (Year 12 & 13). In Sixth Form, Kuroko is studying under the A levels programme (the equivalent to Pre U/foundation that takes place over two years). I would know because I just completed this very programme yesterday after my last exam.**

 **[2] In A levels, you have to select a minimum of 3 subjects. Kuroko's are: Literature, History and Geography (basically what he's good at).**

 **[3] Magic tricks is Kuroko's hobby, this still hasn't changed.**

That's all I have to say! And about that ending... :)


	3. Chapter 3

(A/N): _Long story short, I didn't do so well for my A level exams and so my future plans were kinda mixed up for a while as I tried to get my future back on track. But here I am now, updating with this chapter. Hopefully you'll all gain a little insight to Kuroko and his new team (I have their backgrounds all planned out, it was actually quite fun to write). Thank you for the immense support, and I hope you enjoy!_

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing but the Lincoln team._

* * *

"What did you put in here? Rocks?" Exclaimed Kasamatsu as he dumped the box in his arms on the ground. A thud sounded throughout the student apartment as he glared over at his unfortunate allocated roommate for the next few years, Imayoshi. Imayoshi barely spared him a glance as he waved off Kasamatsu's protest, bringing in the last of his bags. Okamaru and Otsubo filed in after them, Otsubo held out a piece of paper for the two to see. "What's that?" Asked the former Kaijo captain, his eyes squinting to look at the poster's contents more clearly.

"Basketball trials, it's for the team." Explained Okamaru. "We found it on the teams' board just now."

Kasamatsu supressed himself from face palming. "Is there a reason why you took the poster, instead of leaving it on the board for others to see it?"

Okamaru shrugged before highlighting the map at the bottom of the poster. "Didn't want to take any chances of us getting lost. Even after that tour, I still don't think I'll ever get used to this place." He commented as he scratched at his chin. Kasamatsu felt as though he was about to explode. First his irritating roommate, now this.

There was a laugh. "Well that's understandable," said Imayoshi, with a grin. "And if that poster doesn't make it any more obvious, we better get our basketball gear. Trials start in twenty minutes and we don't even know which way to go."

"We turn left," Said Mayuzumi, from the entrance of the apartment. His appearance shocked them, before it slowly sunk in that he had technically always there from the beginning. "I walked to the gym just now to confirm."

Imayoshi nodded at him, "Right. Thank you for that information, Mayuzumi-san." He turned and grabbed a black bag off the sofa as Kasamatsu followed in suit, grabbing his own basketball shoes. "We better get going, wouldn't want to be late."

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.

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"This is the team that has the media acting like wild hounds?" Inquired Kasamatsu with a raised brow and frowned at the scene before him. It was unusual, and that said something coming from the former Kaijo captain who had dealt with a wide variety of personalities in his previous team, but this was too surreal to him. Perched on the gym's bleachers, a large African-American male stood hunched in a t-shirt and shorts, on his lap sat his laptop as the man appeared to be updating his social media page. On his side, a mountain of protein bars and drinks sat, he glanced up heatedly as Kasamatsu bit back a gulp. The pressure he gave off was insane, even if he was just sitting down. Perhaps the oddest thing about the man would be how organised his snacks were, as each item were placed in rows of six and ordered alphabetically. The blacked haired teen shook it off before he focused his attention to the rest of the team. Down below the bleachers appeared to be two teens dancing to some sort of pop music, foreign music, in a completely different language as they wore loose baggy long pants. The one on the left, who appeared to be much better at executing the dance moves with his pants threatening to drop (which Kasamatsu had determined as hip hop) appeared to be American, if his US flag wristband had not said enough. The other one appeared to be from an Asian descent, probably South-Eastern. Over the sound of the music, loud thuds could be heard as he turned his head to the other side of the gym where a large trampoline had been set up. On it, a young blonde haired teen appeared to jump, constantly performing air defying techniques as he flowed through the air, his long legs only appearing to push him closer and closer to the ceiling.

Silence appeared to be golden amoungst the former captains as they stood at the entrance, their bodies unmoving. "Maybe we have the wrong place…" Said Okamaru, he had a point. As Kuroko had mentioned on his previous tour before, there were various facilities for a single sport, perhaps they had stumbled into the wrong gym for the basketball trials. Mayuzumi must have made a mistake, heck, everyone makes mistakes at some point.

"Good, you're here." A voice perked up from behind them as they backed away in shock to form a gap in the gym's entrance. Kuroko glided pass them and into the hall, the teen had not changed out of his school uniform. Following behind him were two others, an elder foreign man and another teen. Kasamatsu assessed the newcomer, compared to the rest present in the gym, this teen appeared to be more built for basketball but he couldn't help but feel as though there was something about him that was incredibly familiar. It was as though he had seen him from somewhere before. Kuroko clapped his hands, all activity in the gym appeared to stop as the teens who had previously been busy appeared to line up on the white line before Kuroko and the elder man. "We're having trials today," said the teal haired teen in fluent English. "Coach will tell you guys what we're going to be doing." He added before he let the elder man speak.

Kuroko took a step back before he approached the former captains. "Your English has gotten much better," mused Imayoshi. "But I guess I shouldn't be surprised since it's your main form of communication now."

"No, I wouldn't say I'm good." Replied Kuroko with a modest shrug. "I'm just better than most people at it, considering the amount of practice I've had." He shot back. Imayoshi grinned at Kuroko's reply amused, Kasamatsu looked on with a line of disapproval upon his lips. "Don't worry, you're in the right place." Assured the teal haired teen who proceeded to remove his tie and blazer. "Trials for the team will be held momentarily, it'll be the fitness section today." He turned away from them and proceeded towards the changing room.

A loud whistle was blown as the elder man, now identified as the coach ushered for his players to surround him. To Kasamatsu's surprise, there were actually a lot of people present at the trials opposed to the number he had previously observed in the gym. He assumed they must have recently come following the end of the extra classes, or club activities. "Alright, today's fitness trials are going to be broken down in four sections: suicide runs, the beep test, circuit training and a 10Km run. You will be observed and timed." Said the man in English before his instructions were translated to various other languages by the assistant coach, Japanese included.

Blood appeared to drain from Okamaru's face. "It's as though the gates of hell have just been opened."

"At least you accept that that's where you're going." Added Imayoshi, a sly grin on his lips as he observed the other faces in the gym. Most of the newcomers had similar expressions to Okamaru and were muttering in disbelief. From the corner of his eyes, he spotted a hint of teal blue. His eyes narrowed in on the phantom player as he emerged from the changing room in an entirely black assemble, his face and hair drenched with water, leaving a trail of droplets in his wake. He didn't seem to care that he was wetting the gym floor. Kuroko walked towards the teens who they had seen earlier before the rest had come, they didn't appear to gather around the Coach like everyone else, instead each carried a stopwatch and clipboard each. They greeted the teal haired phantom friendly, the shortest of the bunch embraced him in a hug despite the sacrifice of his dry clothes. Imayoshi found it amusing how the largest amoungst the group moved to grab a mop before he proceeded to wipe away the water droplets, another member dropped a white towel to the ground as Kuroko stepped onto the cloth. It was as if they were his servants.

"And our regular members will be watching and assessing you as well." Said members immediately straightened up and retook their places on the white line as the elder man walked over to them, clapping each of them on the back. "These six right here were our first batch of experimental players," The tall ash blonde who had previously been on the trampoline before frowned, the other players didn't really seem to mind the joke. "Sure these jokers may look weak, but they're not." The Coach ended as he came to stand beside Kuroko. "They have won every major tournament against other schools, and even Universities sometimes in the international field. You shouldn't underestimate these brats, no matter how ridiculous they look." Each player on the original Lincoln team looked at the shortest member, who turned away before pulling up his long pants and shuffled lightly. "Now, these brats are going to be participating against you lot, but at the same time, they'll be timing you and monitoring you." Explained Coach, the man walked pass Kuroko before standing between the teal haired teen and the other who had entered the gym with him. "Gentlemen, this here is your captain Tetsu, also our ever so humble Student Council President," the sarcasm dripped from his tone, but completely flew over his teal head. Kuroko bowed politely, never once speaking a word. "And here is our vice-captain, now many of you probably recognise him, because who wouldn't?" Kasamatsu had to admit, he did believe he's seen him before. "This here is Fideo Pnina, professional basketballer and the youngest member of the Italian Olympic basketball team." The Italian smiled, a dimple creasing his left cheek as he gave them all a wave.

Otsubo nodded to himself as he finally recalled where he had seen the teen before. Following the last Olympic games, world media had gone crazy over a young prodigy basketballer who was still in high school, who had represented his country during the games. It was reported that the teen had signed with a NBA team already but was only going to officially play with them once his university studies were over. Otsubo could only assume that the famed teen was the vice-captain. "I wish you all the best in these trials," said Fideo, his voice accented as he shared a look with Kuroko. "Please try your best, and we are looking forward to seeing your efforts."

The Coach nodded to himself before he blew his whistle, "Let's get the show on the road people! It's time for some suicide runs, gentlemen, line up on that white line over there." He pointed to the line at the other side of the gym, where one basketball hoop had been set up. "We're (you) are going to be running thirty complete sets of suicides, Andy, demonstrate." The short brunette from the original Lincoln batch lightly jogged the first white line outside the key, cutting the court into one third and touched the line before he turned back and ran back the initial line. Andy then proceeded to jog further past the line and to another white line (which cut the court into two thirds), and tap it before returning to the start line. All eyes observed as Andy ran out once more, but this time to the other end of the court before he proceeded to return. "Thank you grandma Andrea for that pathetic excuse of a demonstration, but I think you gentlemen get the idea of where you're meant to run. That there was one set, and when you run out there, you're all supposed to be sprinting. I expect nothing less because in the real game, there's no way you all will be jogging like old grandmas – I expect you to be sprinting your arses off. Now get ready, when this whistle blows we start." Within two milliseconds, the man blew his whistle. Multiple stunned expressions were seen, but that didn't stop six people from sprinting towards the first line.

Kasamatsu recovered quickly from the initial shock, faster than most of those in the gym who continued to stand at the start line. From the corner of his eyes, he spotted Imayoshi and Otsubo running. Okamaru wasn't that far behind, but what struck him the most would be the insane speed of the two runners who were running in front of him. Andy, who he had first observed and dismissed as a joker when he had seen him dancing in the beginning was surprisingly leading the pack as the American teen blurred passed him and back towards the start line. For someone who had moved at the pace of a snail before, it was a surprising transition of speed. Following closely him was no other than Fideo, an expression of steady determination on his face as he sped pass Kasamatsu. He seemed to be chasing Andy. Kasamatsu couldn't explain why, but there was something about Andy that just seemed to irritate him. The black haired teen was snapped away from his thoughts as he felt strong vibrations on the ground, he looked up to see the largest member of Lincoln's basketball team charging towards him, well everyone in general.

"That's it Bonecrusher!" Yelled Coach, the man ushered the large teen to run faster. "Crush them all in your wake!"

'Bonecrusher,' mused Okamaru as he ran. 'I wish I had a cool nickname.' He slowly teared up inside before focusing back on his task.

Otsubo watched as the player, deemed as 'Bonecrusher' completed his fifth set before observing the other members of the Lincoln team. It was obvious straight off the bat that Andy was the fastest, quickly followed by Fideo. He could only deduce that one of the two was PG, more likely Andy as he appeared to be more agile, but then again, you could never tell – Fideo was a professional player who was probably well adapted to all positions. The tallest member, and only blonde of Kuroko's team followed behind the rest, his legs proving to be an advantage as the teen didn't really appear to push himself very much as he took easily only strides. Once in a while, he appeared to let out a yawn when the Coach wasn't looking at him. As Otsubo tapped the white line and turned back, he passed the other teen who had been dancing with Andy in the beginning. He wasn't as fast as the rest, but he seemed the most determined if that counted for anything. It reminded him of Miyaji, he was a person who was willing to work hard to succeed. "You got this, Dylan!" Andy called out as he ran past his friend, lightly patting him on the back before sprinting past him once more. Dylan nodded to his friend before he tapped the line and turned back. Compared to the rest, he seemed the most average, and then there was Kuroko.

Kuroko didn't feel the need to over exert himself, or even run. The trials weren't for him, it was more for them, to assess them and see if they've improved. Or perhaps declined in their abilities, if that was the case – they would be worthless to him, and this team. His teal eyes landed on the only other person in front of him: Mayuzumi.

Imayoshi watched as Andy completed his last set, the teen celebrated by running into the pole of the basketball hoop and clinging to it in happiness. He was followed by the rest of the team, well three of them. He pushed up his glasses as he turned to spot Kuroko, who was walking in contrast to everyone else. His expression was blank, unchanged as he walked, but there was something to it. Something uneasy about that hidden expression.

By the time they had all completed thirty sets, disregarding Kuroko who stopped after five sets, they were exhausted. "Not bad, gentlemen, I'm impressed by some of your leg work just now." Coach informed them. "But let's see how you survive this next obstacle: the beep test." He then went on to explain what it was. The objective of this health test was clear to everyone present in the gym: get to the other side of the gym before the beep sound goes off. For the rest of their evening, they continued to push themselves to furthest they could in each fitness test that came.

Mayuzumi leaned against the gym wall unnoticed, his breaths heavy as he stood back and observed the rest complete the final obstacle, the 10Km run. He didn't see the point of killing himself right now, he took his towel and his bottle as he proceeded to leave the gym. 'There's no point to this,' he told himself. 'It's just ridiculous, I'm not even going to make it.'

"Failing to complete the last task can result in your disqualification from the trials." A familiar voice spoke. Mayuzumi turned as Kuroko stood by the closed gym doors. "Were you always this pathetic, or is it just my imagination? I do tend to see weird things…" Kuroko murmured the last part to himself as he took steps closer to the grey haired teen. There was something about his words that just told him to run, it was as though a siren was ringing off in his mind. Mayuzumi instantly took a step back. A line formed on Kuroko's lips, "Are you afraid of me?" Mused the teen, his tone was blank, but he seemed amused by this little fact. "Do you think I'm going to pounce on you, or eat you? Please, I'm not Seijuro." Kuroko tilted his head as he observed the older teen flinch. "Did that surprise you?"

Mayuzumi swallowed deeply before he replied, "Not many people really dared to call him that. It's just disrespectful in a way."

Kuroko turned away as he stared at the wall, his eyes appeared to light up as he seemed to spot something that Mayuzumi could not see. "What make you think I respect him? Or any of them, in fact." Said Kuroko, he had stated it as a fact, one that everyone in the basketball circuit could understand regarding the rumours that clouded their past. "The truth is, Mayuzumi-sempai, everyone can improve. Grow, you name it, we all can. Even you. But sometimes… sometimes we don't and it's because we become so dependant, and reliant on others to help us survive, and grow. But eventually, you'll come to realise that you don't need to be dependent on others, you just need to find your own path."

"My own path…" It took him a while, but it was then Mayuzumi realised that the shorter teen was standing right before him.

Kuroko nodded, "I did that, and now I've found my own way – my own basketball, something different. They've always held me back, Teiko, Seirin… all the same in a way." He stated as Kuroko's pale hands came to cup Mayuzumi's face, locking him in place as it stunned him. "Just like how Akashi locked onto you, held you back. He basically conditioned you to become the new me, no strand of originality in your soul or skill." His cold hands lightly patted his cheeks, mocking him as Kuroko's arms dropped. "It was depressing watching you play. It always was, and always will be unless you forge your own path. Why did you think I chose you? You had so much potential compared to the rest, and of course, you need this the most. You love basketball don't you?"

"I do." Mayuzumi found himself responding as he stared back down into teal blue eyes.

"Then prove it to them. To the world, to everyone in the basketball circuit who thinks you're just a copy of the Generation of Miracle's Phantom man." With a new burn of determination, Mayuzumi nodded and returned to the gym. Kuroko stayed back outside, his eyes following the back of the former Rakuzan member. When he was gone, he laughed softly to himself. "Too easy."

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 **Reviews are welcomed as usual. I'm not dead, I'm alive and well.**


	4. Chapter 4

**(Author's Note):** _I've begun University, half of my course is coursework so I've been busy doing that. On the other hand, it's spring now so here I am being active again. Anyway, enjoy! I shall try to update this story, ID and finish The Shadow soon. Shout out to my roommate, **Nap Team Captain** for constantly nagging me to update. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything but my characters and ideas._

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 _Mayuzumi Chihiro_

His blank grey eyes narrowed in on his name on the list. Around him were other members who had also made the list. He was not surprised that he was surrounded by familiar faces he saw, but it didn't hide the shock he felt himself in seeing his name on the paper. He felt a light pat on his back as he turned to see the towering face of Okamaru, the man smiled down friendly at him. "Good job, you made it." He didn't know if his pupils could widen any more than it already had from the shock he was experiencing. Someone had actually remembered him. He found himself nodding, a sense of happiness blooming through his chest that he was at least remembered. It was a new experience for him.

"...yes," he said, his voice soft but happy as he looked once more at his name. Perhaps this was the beginning of his new start, his new path. Mayuzumi was determined to break away from his past identity as a phantom, it just reminded him too much of the past – one that he would gladly like to forgot. 'Thank you, Kuroko Tetsuya.' The corners of his lips tilted upwards, he was looking forward to the future. So far, it seemed bright.

Brows narrowed, Kasamatsu had easily found his name on the list. He was not surprised to discover that the other captains had made it onto the list, but he wouldn't deny that even he was surprised to see Mayuzumi's name there. Sure, he was more physically fit that Kuroko had been but compared to everyone else who had been at both the trials… the man lacked in everything else. He had come in last for this fitness exams and his skills were at best: average. He was glad for him, but it didn't feel right. Something was completely off about the entire situation, and he didn't like it. He didn't like any of this at all. He hated feeling like a pawn in Kuroko Tetsuya's game, not that the Phantom had outright told him that he was one, but he really was starting to feel like one.

A chuckle pulled at his attention, his eyes shifted to see Imayoshi standing beside him, a smirk painted firmly along his lips. "You have to admit, we all saw this coming." He never turned to face him, but Kasamatsu knew that his comment was definitely aimed for his ears.

"How can you stand there and feel comfortable with all of this?" Murmured Kasamatsu, his voice lowered as his eyes shifted to scan their surroundings outside of the gym. It was late, most students had already made their way home, but there was no such thing in being cautious in case someone heard him.

Imayoshi grinned, he turned to face Kasamatsu as he tilted his head, his glasses dropping ever so slightly to reveal his eyes. "Of course, I'm very much not comfortable with this at all, but what can we do? We've been trapped since the beginning." He pushed his glasses back up, his grin slipping off before replacing itself with a false smile of confidence. "The only way we can survive is to play along." He whispered, his arms crossing over his chest as it was his turn to scan his surroundings before landing on the back of Mayuzumi's head. 'Now what could you possibly want with him, little phantom king?'

"I hate this feeling…" muttered Kasamatsu.

"We all do."

His teal orbs stared down at them from his sitting spot, his feet dangled through the bars of the railing as his pale forehead rested against the cool metal bar. His eyes narrowed before they closed, his head tilted to a side. "How boring…" Muttered Kuroko as he bent his head back before lying back completely. His arms rested across his body as his fingers intertwined, his thumbs rubbed together as he took in the brief silence the atmosphere supplied him.

"But didn't you expect them to react that way?" Asked Ume, the girl stood beside him as her eyes glanced down at the group of basketball hopefuls. They were an odd bunch, one that were not easy to get a hold off. In fact, nothing so far had been easy, not even granting their scholarships. Their grades had been average, and despite being well known basketball players, it had not been a good enough excuse to get them admitted. Yet, after months of preparation and pestering (a lot of it), there they stood… but for what, she did not know. Her focus shifted back to the teen beside her, her 'President'. She observed as the teen slowly reopened his eyes, they blinked for a moment. She could never tell what was going through his mind, but she was curious.

Kuroko sighed to himself, his eyes turned as he met Ume's eyes. "It's exactly because they reacted the way I expected them to, which is why it was boring."

She paused for a moment at the simplicity of his answer before nodding. "I see…" But was anything ever that simple? Especially since it was from Kuroko?

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It wasn't long before it was time for their first practice. Things had gone smoothly in practice, until now that was...

"Excuse me?" Spluttered Kasamatsu, his eyes widened in shock as he digested the news told before him by the assistant coach. Practice was over, but the teen was called out by the assistant coach and was told to stay behind for a little talk. Hence right now. The man held out a red armband for him to take, with another gesture, Kasamatsu reached out and hesitantly took the band. His fingers ran through the carefully embodied 'C'. He was utterly confused. "Why would I need this?" He asked absolutely dumbfounded.

The young man before him never looked up, "We've only entered the national scene recently late last year, and the committee were determined to participate in the upcoming Interhigh matches, unfortunately there's been a clash in our timetable. Therefore, our main team won't be able to participate since we'll be competing at IAAUS games at the same time." His eyes glanced up briefly from the dark blue board in his head. "So, congratulations Kasamatsu-san, the committee has nominated you to lead the second team to victory in Interhigh."

"But why can't the main team play?" Sure, he understood that there was a clash of timetables, but that didn't mean they wouldn't be here for all the matches? Surely, they should be able to compete in some of them at least, and besides, isn't it all too soon for them to be preparing for the Interhigh this quickly? It was still months ahead of time.

"I'm afraid that is because we will not be in the country at that time, Kasamatsu-senpai." Answered Kuroko, appearing out from the shadows. "I believe this year's IAAUS games will be held in Bali, Indonesia." He stated, informing the assistant coach who did not appear to respond at all to his sudden appearance.

The assistant coach smiled as he finally looked up from his board, "There you are, President Tetsuya, here are the papers that you asked for." Kuroko bowed politely before accepting the papers, he didn't spare them a single glance. Instead, he looked at Kasamatsu. "You know, Kasamatsu-san, until last year we didn't even have a basketball team, and if it hadn't been for the President and Ace Fideo, Lincoln high or University wouldn't even have a basketball team. Hell, it was all the President's idea actually to combine the University and high school teams together for national tournaments since there was such a lack of interest. Luckily basketball appears to be more popular this year." He patted Kuroko's back, the teen didn't flinch or react. "Let's hope you guys bring us back another gold medal, but I heard that the other international schools have recruited some pretty tough opponents this year for the IAAUS."

Kuroko nodded, "The softball team will try our best to bring back another medal."

With that the assistant coach waved them goodbye, "Well I got to go, the swimming team isn't bringing back another gold medal without this training regime." The man waved his clipboard in emphasis before exiting the gym.

Kasamatsu was completely confused. 'Softball…? Swimming? Wasn't he the basketball team's assistant coach?'

"He's the swimming team's competitive coach," stated Kuroko in blunt clarification, answering Kasamatsu's question. "Seeing as our team is only recently formed, we've recruited two coaches who actually man different teams but are happy to manage our team as our supervisors when they have free time. Our main coach himself is actually the track and field coach." Informed Kuroko off-handedly.

Kasamatsu spluttered in disbelief. "Why couldn't you have gotten a proper basketball coach then?" He asked. They were a well-known school, they must have had the funds to do that at least considering that they had an Olympic basketballer on their team.

Kuroko tilted his head aside. "Because I didn't want to." The answer stunned Kasamatsu. "You may have realised it by now, but in the main team, basketball is not our _prioritised_ sport. Well except for Fideo, but he has his professional training outside school grounds since it his profession so that doesn't really count, but for everyone else – no, we have other passions."

Even you? He wanted to ask him so badly, but he didn't dare to. "Then why are they even in the main team? Why did they even join basketball in the first place?" Questioned Kasamatsu, this entire situation was just becoming more complicated. He really couldn't figure out what was going on in the teen's mind.

Kuroko shrugged, "Because I asked them." Kasamatsu was getting more and more frustrated by the second from all the teal-haired teen's vague answers. "But aren't you happy?"

"What?" His eyes widened, he hadn't expected Kuroko at ask him that.

His pale, blank blue eyes landed on the captain's band in his palms. "You're captain again."

The question threw him off completely but he slowly nodded, his fist tightening on the wristband. "…yes, I suppose I am."

"Good, then I expect you to lead us to victory." Said Kuroko, it wasn't the words that surprised Kasamatsu, it was the tone of his voice. He sounded so assured, so certain. But he did realise who they were bound to come up against, didn't he? "Don't worry about the Generation of Miracles, I've got it all covered."

Steel grey eyes narrowed, he didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean?" He cautiously asked, his voice low as he watched the phantom turn on his heel. "Kuroko… what the hell are you planning?" He called out to him.

Kuroko paused, he tilted his head to stare back at Kasamatsu, his face was emotionless. "Don't worry, I won't do anything illegal or anything like that. I still have my pride as a sportsman, and you don't need to worry so much about them. We're not in the same region, we'll only see them later on in the matches." With that, he left.

Kasamatsu froze, 'What does he mean by _we_? Aren't they going to be away for the entire Interhigh?'

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.

.

"The IAAUS games is a friendly sports competition between international schools and universities in South-East Asia." Informed Mayuzumi, his eyes scanned and read the Wikipedia page opened before him.

Okamaru raised a brow, "Is Japan even part of South-East Asia?"

Imayoshi smirked, "Well that really is a big question, isn't it? It's almost as big as the mystery of why Kuroko chose Kasamatsu-san to play captain." All eyes turned to see the silent teen, his arms folded across his chest as he stared hard at the captain's band placed on the table before him. "Calm down thick brows, you only got that band today, no need to burn holes into it." Teased Imayoshi.

Kasamatsu twitched before throwing a harsh glare back at Imayoshi. "Aren't you the least worried about what's going to happen?"

"Kuroko-kun would never do anything against the rules." Surprisingly it was Mayuzumi who had spoken. "I have faith that he still does love basketball very much." He stated, but he could tell from the faces around the room that nobody was fully convinced by his words. "Why else would he be the captain of the team then?"

"Perhaps because he was the one that actually pushed to form it," answered Kasamatsu. "And how can you even be so certain the kid is even serious about basketball anymore? Softball has taken over as his main sport, remember?" After his brief talk to Kuroko, Kasamatsu had gotten curious and went to investigate the sports boards. He had discovered that what Kuroko had said was very truly, each main starter really was a part of an entirely different sports team.

Kuroko was a pitcher for the softball team, but that didn't really surprise him considering the speed of his Ignite pass, what surprised him the most was the odd diversity of sports from the other main players. Fideo, that was a no brainer, he loved basketball and it seemed to be his only sport, but that fast kid, Andy – he wasn't even a sportsman at all, well not formally at least. Apparently in Lincoln, dance was a recognised sport and Andy seemed to be the star of the school's dance team from the board decorated with his face. It didn't surprise Kasamatsu though to discover that Lincoln's legendary 'bonecrusher', Warren, was the star of the University's all American football team. He had the build and size for it after all. Dylan, the high schooler was a part of the table tennis team, and that might explain why his speed did not match his fellow teammates during the trials. It wasn't his strongest point it would seem. The final member of the main team honestly surprised him the most. Leonard had the height for basketball, he was tall, so tall that his height could have possibly given Murasakibara a run for his food considering his tall lean frame but the shock came when Kasamatsu had discovered that his main sport was gymnastics as he saw from the University sport's board. The blonde man's specialism? Trampoline gymnastic. This group, they were almost as weird as the Generation of Miracles. No, he hated to admit it but they were weirder, much weirder. What on earth was Kuroko thinking? Hell, what was the media even thinking writing articles about them that practically tricked everyone into believing that they were the dream team of the century?

"We shouldn't think too much about this." Inputted Otsubo. Till that point in time, the former Shutoku captain hadn't spoken a word until now. "Perhaps we should do as we're told and focus on the Interhigh. After all, it was the basketball committee who decided that we shall play – not only Kuroko-san." He lightly reminded them. "We carry the pride of this school on our shoulders now."

Kasamatsu hated to admit it, but he had a point. "Fine, but it doesn't mean I like it."

"You don't like anything at all, not even girls." Imayoshi teased as the former Kaijo captain rose from his seat in anger. "Don't get so sensitive now."

Kasamatsu's brow twitched, "I'll make your eyes feel sensitive." He said as he slowly approached the megane.

Imayoshi chuckled to himself, but even he found himself taking a few steps backwards. "Now, now, we're all not getting any younger and I believe we should all control our low blood pressure. We don't want you getting heart attacks or strokes on us now, captain.

"Well you should have thought about that before you opened your smart-mouth!" It's been a long time since he's kicked someone.

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.

.

Despite the time, the lights were still switched on in the outdoor softball court. Kuroko grunted beneath the light as he only lightly managed to tap the ball shot at him.

"Basketball is not my passion?" Questioned Ume as she lightly adjusted the speed of the softball machine. "Isn't it wrong to tell them a lie like that? No matter how little it is?"

Kuroko shrugged before positioning himself, he was determined to hit this ball. As the white ball flew towards him, he scowled lightly before changing his plan as he held the softball bat with two hands, lightly tapping the oncoming ball. He signaled to Ume to kill the power to the machine. "I'm done for the night." He murmured. His teal eyes dropped and flickered to the practice balls surrounding his feet, it was always the same. No matter how much he tried to practice he really did suck at hitting the ball, all he was good at was throwing. He lightly picked up the ball, before he knew it, it had left the palm of his hand.

Ume didn't flinch when a blur whizzed pass her head, inches from her face before smacking into the metal grills surrounding the court. She was used to this, his impulsive actions.

He stared at the palm of his hand, the ball was lighter than a basketball, much lighter. The surface was smoother too, it was harder for him to control the direction of the ball, but it wasn't something that he couldn't master. The lightness though… it was no wonder he had been able to throw it at twice the power and speed he normally had to put into an Ignite pass. The thought of the Ignite pass only made him crave the surface and weight of a basketball. His fingers twitched, he wanted to play. "Are the basketball courts still open now?" He asked in a low voice, his eyes never left the palm pale surface of his hands. They were dirty, but that was expected seeing as he had forgotten to wear his gloves tonight.

There was a jingling sound of a key, "They can be opened if you want them to be."

Kuroko nodded. "I want to practice something." He knew it wasn't going to be long before he would see them again, Kasamatsu would surely lead the team far, he was certain of it. Before he would know it, they'll eventually be matched up against one of their teams, and then it was inevitable that he would see them again – face to face, on the same court. It brought a smile to his lips as his finds curled into a tight little ball, oh how excited he was… He was simply just dying to play against them. "I will show you what true defeat is, and how humiliating it can really be…"

 _IAAUS (International Academy and University Sports) Games – an international tournament that is hosted in different countries every year around the same time as the Interhigh. The duration of the competition is approximately around two weeks and involves various sports such as: football, swimming, track and field, basketball, table tennis, soccer, softball and gymnastics. Any international school joint with a university, including Lincoln can compete in the games._

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I aim to update more this spring holiday. Reviews are always welcomed.


	5. Chapter 5

**(Author's Note):** _Done with exams, and I'm now on holiday! Will try my best to continue on the Phantom King legacy. Thanks so much for the support! Honestly, this has to be my longest chapter in a very long time. I hope you enjoy!_

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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"I wish you all the best," stated Kuroko bluntly, his softball bag by his feet as he stared back at the home team. It was departure day. "You have all trained very hard, and I am sure that your hard work will take you very far." Despite the deep meaning behind his words, it was still hard for anyone to take him seriously considering his deadpanned tone and voice. It didn't help at all that his face was as passive as ever. "While we'll be away in Indonesia, I can only hope that you'll be successful in the Interhigh." He continued on. "I believe in you." He added, his head moved forward to bow at them politely. In the background, Andy could be seen parading around with a red streamer in his hand, adding in a few jumps here and there as he dance a practiced routine. The rest of the main team were behind Kuroko, they each wore their own respective uniforms for the sports team they were going to be playing for during the tournament. Each member sent a form of goodbye towards their way. "Andy," Kuroko turned as the American teen came to a halt, hearing his name. "He won't be following us to Indonesia, but unfortunately, he won't be able to compete in the Interhigh either due to timetable clashes."

Said teen nodded, "Sorry guys, I've got two dance competitions coming up with eleven hours of practice a week to prep for them." Andy sheepishly inputted before bowing himself to the rest of the team. Andy smiled as he came up and patted Kasamatsu's shoulder familiarly, the black hair teen frowned in response to the abrupt intimate gesture. He was not used to the gesture coming from the younger teen, or anyone younger than him to be more accurate, he had always perceived it as a sign of disrespectful. "I'm sure you'll smash it! You guys seemed pretty amazing during the trials, hell, you guys are probably more experienced than we are." He told them. Within seconds, his phone went off. "Shit! I'm late for Advanced Hip Hop!" The teen dashed off, grabbing his bag before he left. "Ganbatte!" Called out the teen.

They all watched him go. 'Idiots… They all are idiots…' Kasamatsu internally scowled, he could feel a massive wave of energy draining from his very being. "Will he be attending any basketball practices with us then?" He asked.

"Of course." Clarified Kuroko. He stood corrected, this was going to be very exhausting… mentally and physically. "He's not that bad." Inputted Kuroko. "Just imagine Kise-san, but ten times worse with a lack of fans and a mild language barrier."

'Great, so even if I reprimand him, he won't understand a single word I'm saying.' Groaned Kasamatsu internally.

A cold hand touched his shoulder, his cool gaze lifted and met teal blue ones. His touch sent trickling shivers down Kasamatsu's spine, he didn't like this feeling at all. His uncomfortableness was evident from the expression on his face, Kuroko dropped his hand, "I trust that you'll make a remarkable impact in the Interhigh, Kasamatsu-san." He told him. "All the best." With that he left and joined the softball team.

"Let's move out!" One of the head coaches yelled as the sports teams who had gathered in the gym began making their way out of the sport halls and into the parking lot where their buses waited to drive them to the airport. It got noisy, with loud excited voices erupting for athletes all throughout the hall, luggage bags wrte being rolled out, followed closely by stampeding footsteps of athletes exiting the hall, but to Kasamatsu – his world was oddly silent. There was something chilling about those words. He just couldn't shake the feeling of uncomfortableness. His eyes never left the back of a certain phantom who lagged behind, when it was finally Kuroko's turn to exit, the teen turned to glance back at him. For a brief moment, their eyes met, Kuroko smirked. Kasamatsu jolted slightly in shock, but he was gone by the time he looked back.

"You alright?" Asked Okamaru. The rest of the team had begun their warm up but the large man had paused in his steps when he noticed their captain frozen in a state of stupor.

Kasamatsu nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine." He shook his head before jogging to catch up to the rest, Okamaru followed beside him, matching his stride to Kasamatsu's. He didn't buy it, he could tell that something was troubling Kasamatsu from the expression on the man's face, but knew better than to prod. He'd leave that to Imayoshi.

'What do you want from us, Kuroko Tetsuya?'

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"He doesn't seem to like you very much." Commented Ume, her palm rested against her cheek as she gazed out at the passing scenery from the black car's window. Unlike the other competing athletes, Kuroko Tetsuya had privileges, one being access to his own presidential car.

Kuroko mused, "He's sharp." His thoughts wondered back to the scene just now, he could still remember the expression of recoil that instantly took over Kasamatsu's face the moment he touched him. It... amused him. Within seconds Kasamatsu had attempted to conceal his expressions but the phantom had already seen it. During his entire stay at Lincoln, out of all the former captains, Kasamatsu had been the one to avoid him the most. At practices, he never dared to meet his eye or looked away the moment he was caught staring. Did he hate him? What did he do to make him detest him so much? It truly puzzled him. He'll admit that he was shrewd, but it appeared that it was just Kasamatsu that felt this way about him. At least Imayoshi had made it a point to meet his gaze and return it with a fox-like smile. The other captains and Mayuzumi had given decent nods of acknowledgements at him, but Kasamatsu never did. "Am I hateable?"

"Yes."

"Do I make people recoil in disgust?"

"You just did a few minutes ago," replied Ume. She was brash, it was in her nature to be. "You saw his expression." They all had.

"Is something wrong with me?" Kuroko couldn't help but ask.

Her gaze moved away to look at the teen, his palms clasped his knee cap as his intense gaze stayed frozen on the passenger seat in front of him. His grip tightened as he squeezed at tighter at his knees. His expression remained impassive, but his eyes showed inner conflict. "Nobody is perfect."

 ** _'You're never going to be perfect.'_**

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," reaffirmed Ume. "Nobody is a perfect human being."

 ** _'But Akashi was…'_**

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"You're still brooding," commented Imayoshi as they sat waiting to be called for their debuting match.

Days had turned to weeks and it was finally time for their first Interhigh match. It had been decided that the first starters would be none other than the former captains and Mayuzumi, but it wasn't as if the decision was difficult to make. The international tournament had practically whisked away a majority of the Lincoln sports department, minus the dance team, but even they had their own competitions to attend to. If they had to be honest with themselves, they knew the first match would be easy, it was against a local high school team in the region but this didn't mean they could take the match for granted. They all knew that, they understood that they had no right to degrade the school just because they had a lower rank. Kasamatsu took a deep breath, he sat on the bench, his elbows resting on his shoulders as he exhaled. His fingers were knitted together, there had been no messages from Kuroko, nothing. It didn't bother him that the phantom had not kept tabs on them, in fact, it was relieving to know that he was giving them this much freedom to play the way they wanted to in a way.

"Hey aren't you guys curious?" Imayoshi spoke up, a smirk on his lips as he leaned against the wall in Lincoln's white and red uniform. "How do you think our former teammates would react when they see us?"

Mayuzumi sighed, "You've brought this up several times already." The teen lightly reminded him. Nobody flinched, in fact, nobody jumped. It was an incredible feat considering the first time they met, but over the course of the past few weeks, they had grown accustomed to Mayuzumi's lack of presence. It was an achievement.

Imayoshi thought for a moment, "Have I?" His grin only widened. "I don't recall, but I don't see any issue bringing it back up now… after all, we're only moments away from being called out." Reminded Imayoshi. He could feel adrenaline pumping through his veins, he was exhilarated. A tournament attendant appeared at the doorway, ushering them to follow after him. "It's show time." He never thought that in his wildest dreams he would be able to return to this stage, fate was on his side.

He was one of the first to leave the room. It wasn't long before the rest followed in Imayoshi's suit. Kasamatsu took his time, taking in another breather before he exited the locker room. He honestly didn't know what to expect coming out of this match. But it wasn't just a match, was it? It was a debut. A starting action. He knew that this was what Kuroko had wanted to happen, he just didn't know what reaction or outcome Kuroko wanted from this. Was this a secret declaration of war against the Generation of Miracles? He honestly didn't know, he didn't want to know. No matter how hard he had tried to push pass that feeling, he couldn't shake it off. There was something not right about what Kuroko Tetsuya was doing, but that's the problem – he wasn't doing anything… he was just playing basketball. "Clear your mind," muttered Kasamatsu, he shut his eyes once more. He cleansed his thoughts of the negativity before re-opening his eyes. "Time to go be the best player you can out there." He took a step forward, whatever uncertainty he had before pushed away with his mind entirely focused on the oncoming game. After all, he still had his pride as the former captain of Kaijou.

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Aomine frowned in his seat, he didn't understand why he had to be here. It wasn't even a Tokyo region match. Still, Momoi had forced him to come with her all the way just to watch the opening match when he could have been doing more interesting things – like reading that new magazine of his. His mouth began watering at the very thought of those limited edition images. He wanted to get home asap dammit. "I don't understand why we have to be here?" grumbled the tanned teen, his eyes stared over at the regional team being introduced, Seika, they were called. He had never heard of them, were they even a team worth worrying about? They didn't look like it to him. Were they that important Momoi had to drag his ass onto a train at lightning speed? Hell, if they were, he'll give them medal for hiding it so well because they looked pretty damn worthless to him. "They look pathetic." He might as well give his own thoughts since he was already.

"We're not here to watch them, Dai-chan." She told him. She was on the edge of seat. Unlike Aomine, she wasn't looking at the Seika team, she didn't feel the need to get data on them. Besides, if she wanted to, she could get it easily. No, she didn't come all the way out here to observe them, what she really came for was about to come out any second now. "We're here for Lincoln."

"Huh?" Aomine raised a brow at her. "Is that even Japanese?" He could have sworn he heard her say something completely foreign. He'll admit his grades weren't the best, but he knew Japanese when he heard it.

Momoi shook her head, of course he wouldn't know. He didn't really keep up with the news around the basketball circuit to begin with. "No, Lincoln. They're an international school that recently entered the local sports circuit, they're actually a pretty formidable team – you can find them on Wikipedia and actually read up on their school history, and all."

"So why do we have to be here in person then if you can so easily read up about them online?" Inquired Aomine. "If they're one click away, just do it already."

Momoi shook her head again, she never turned back to look at her childhood friend, her focus remained completely fixated at the entrance. "That's the thing, Dai-chan, I couldn't get anything at all." She had tried. Nothing, even when she asked others to do it, it appeared as though she was blocked. Someone was keeping all sports activity related to the school under strict confidentiality, so she got nothing. Other than the basic school history, that was it. She didn't even know how many players were on that team, or who they even were. It was the uncertainty that frustrated her. Not to mention there was that rumour being spread by the media. "Hey, Dai-chan, have you heard about the media buzz about Lincoln?" She asked him.

Aomine watched as pink orbs lit up, he knew that look. "Satsuki, I haven't even heard of the school before, how the hell am I supposed to know what people have been saying about the place." He told her bluntly.

"They say Lincoln is the home of the **_Phantom_ _King_** … His domain. It's crazy because apparently there's no clear photo of him, it's like he's hiding from the world. Nobody even knows who he is, not even the media. They labelled him the 'Phantom King', but they could never pin down a name. Well it's more like Lincoln, or anyone actually never released a name. A few low-ranking players had actually attempted to take the title for themselves, but it was pretty clear that they weren't good enough to be him. They say he looks familiar, and holds his opponents with his hauntingly familiar gaze…" **Phantom**. A face flashed into his mind, he closed his eyes and sighed. He didn't want to remember. Teal blue hair and eyes, blank, tears… they all looked back at him as he felt sick to the stomach. "You don't think that… he's, there right?"

His fist slammed against the armrest, Momoi jolted in her seat as she turned to look at Aomine. His other hand covered his face, "Don't even say it, Satsuki," He muttered through clenched teeth. "Don't." He moved his hand away to glare at her menacingly, it was a touchy topic, she knew that. The pinkette nodded, she knew better than to push him further. Besides, it was a topic that even she didn't like to remember.

"Oh, Touou," They turned to stare at both Seirin's Aida Riko and Hyuuga Junpei looking back at them. "I'm guessing that even you couldn't get any data on this new team." Stated Riko.

Momoi glanced at the two, "No, but I think that's the case for almost everyone, Coach A-cup." Riko twitched in annoyance. "Aren't you a little far from Seirin?"

"I'll have to say the same thing for you," replied Hyuuga, who ushered Riko into her seat. "Looks like we made it just in time." He said as the announcer glanced at his paper. "Lincoln hasn't come out yet? That's a bit late for them."

"They should be warming up by now." Noted Riko, her brown narrowed to stare at the court. "How confident are they that they're going to win? All teams should know better than to warm up first."

"They haven't officially been announced yet," inputted Momoi.

 ** _"Now opposing Seika High today is the recent dark horse of the competition, the newest school to join the Interhigh circuit, please welcome – the formidable team from Lincoln Gakuen!"_**

Aomine caught his breath as his dark blue eyes widened, he sat upright in his seat and leaned forward. "You're fucking kidding me."

"What are they doing here?" Exclaimed Hyuuga, he was in disbelief. In fact, they all were. A wave of murmurs broke out across the stadium as four very familiar places walked into the limelight, their bodies draped from head to toe in Lincoln Academy uniforms.

"This is bad…" Whispered Momoi, she shook her head as her eyes scanned the familiar faces. "To have all former captains form a team like this… this wasn't what I was expecting." Captains. It didn't cause as much damage if it was simply a regular member/starter or a bench player… but they had to all be former captains. They were probably the most experiences amoungst their former teammates, and what's worst, they knew everything about their former teams: their strengths, their weaknesses and all their tactics. Even with the instalment of a new member on the regular team, that didn't affect what they knew. In fact, they probably would already know who the new regular would be, after all, they were responsible for regulating the progress of all members. The only people they wouldn't be able to shut down would be a member of the Generation of Miracles, or an Uncrowned King, but everyone else… They were good as goners. It didn't help that their 'retirement' had turned attention away from them, who knows how much more they've managed to progress during their time away.

Riko had to agree with her. "Nobody was expecting this," She could feel herself shaking. "They were supposed to have graduated and retired last year." Her thoughts were thinking on a similar wavelength to Momoi's, but unlike the Touou manager, she felt slightly relieved that Seirin did not have any third years to lose. Their tactics, training methods and everything else was safe.

"Well obviously they didn't decide to retire at all." Aomine stated the obvious. "How the hell are they even allowed to play?" He exclaimed.

Similar thoughts were being voiced across the crowd, many had felt that this was incredibly unfair to Seika as echoes of protest began to surface from the audience. There was a cough before all eyes stared down at the main announcer. **"Lincoln Gakuen is an international school whose sports team are linked with their University teams, they do not bias based on age but instead on skill. The following members of Lincoln Gakuen's team are currently studying at Lincoln University, and therefore are eligible to take part in this tournament under their school name. The Interhigh board has allowed them to participate as they are members and representatives of Lincoln Gakuen."** Outrage. Absolute chaos.

"It's still not fair," protested Hyuuga. He couldn't believe that the Interhigh board was letting them do this just because they were a prestigious school of notable reputation. "It's obvious which way the match will go from here."

"Life's not fair." Aomine told him. His eyes narrowed as he stared down at the two teams. "It was already obvious to begin with that Seika stood no chance against them."

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"Well we certainly caused a buzz," Imayoshi said, he began to unzip his jacket as he placed it on their team's bench. "Can't say we're surprised by their reactions, we were supposed to be out of here since last year after all." His eyes glanced over to where Kasamatsu was stretching. "You've been strangely silent throughout this whole day," added the megane. "What's the matter, cat caught your tongue?" He teased.

Kasamatsu ignored him and continued to stretch. "It's nothing." He replied simply. He paused as he turned to see Seika's captain run up to him, the teen was nervous but he tried to look confident as he held out his hand for Kasamatsu to take.

"I know a lot of people in the audience think this match is unfair, and one-sided but I just wanted to let you know that our team doesn't feel that way." He told him. "In fact, we feel incredibly honoured that we have this opportunity to go against you as a team. Please do not hold back." Kasamatsu nodded and shook his hand.

"Don't worry, we don't intend to. We'll treat you the same as how we treat all the other teams we'll play." Reassured Kasamatsu.

"Agreed." The rest of the captains nodded in agreement. They knew what kind of basketball they wanted to play, and they were going to play it.

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"Lincoln win!"

Kuroko wiped the sweat off from his forehead, it was hot. The weather was incredibly humid here in Indonesia, in comparison to Japan. He sighed to himself as he couldn't help but let his mind wander to the Interhigh. The tournament should have started two weeks ago if he wasn't mistaken, but he rarely had time to check in on their progress in the tournament. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't between all the softball and basketball matches he had to play. The basketball team had taken gold here at the IAAUS games, Dylan had substituted for Andy as point guard. It gave him the exposure he needed as a sub. Currently, it was softball time. They had a good lead, but he had to admit that certain South Korean and Chinese schools weren't making it easy for Lincoln, they held up a strong front. They really trained hard, no, we all trained hard.

"We lost." Teal orbs flickered to glance behind him as Ume strided up to where he rested, she worn a swimming jacket over her shirt and shorts. In her palm, she held out a tablet for Kuroko to see. "They had a good streak going, we were winning until we encountered a Generation of Miracle team." She informed him. "I'm surprised they actually combined the two regions, it's not something that is heard of before."

He stared down at the tablet, his fingers lightly replaying the clips from Lincoln's latest match against none other than Yosen. Even with Okamaru retired, Fukui in University and that Chinese guy transferred back to his home country, Yosen had still managed to overpower Lincoln. "It's to be expected, they are the two closest regions, and it can't be helped, it wasn't our decision to control or make." He tapped the replay button and put the clip on slow motion as he watch Murasakibara dunk. When the clip was over, he replayed it again, decreasing the clip's speed even more. "Kasamatsu and the lot didn't have a chance against Murasakibara, the guy is a monster…" He repeated his previous actions, his eyes widened in excitement as he stared at the background of the basketball match. 'Yes.' Kuroko chuckled to himself. "I see I've finally gotten your attention."

Ume stared at him in confusion, her gaze landed back to the tablet. She didn't understand what he was talking about.

"I'm satisfied that my message has been received," He told her. His smiled as he replayed the clip over and over again. Sitting in the backdrop of Yosen and Lincoln's match were none other than the Generation of Miracles, each member present. They each wore grim and serious expressions. It brought him glee and delight to see them hunched over their seats like that, he was satisfied with the results of the tournament. "Kasamatsu and the lot did a good job."

Ume raised a brow, "Are you not upset that we lost before reaching the final?"

Kuroko shook his head. "The game was a result of combining two regions, technically by default, we already advanced to the Winter Cup because we are at the top of our own region." Answered Kuroko. The teen passed the tablet back to her. "I got what I wanted." Said Kuroko, the teen reached for his black cap, the words 'Lincoln' were sewn across the front in red. "Now all I need to do is wait a bit longer before I can come into the picture." His body began to shake, it was really hard to contain his excitement. He really was just too happy with this turn of events. 'You can run, you can hide Generation of Miracles and Seirin, but be warned – the Boogeyman is coming for you.' _Kuroko_ _Tetsuya_ _was_ _the_ _Boogeyman_ , and he couldn't wait to scare them.

"They're calling for you," Ume stated, her eyes glanced back to where the softball team's coach was gesturing for Kuroko's attention. "You better go, your next round robin game is about to start."

He put his cap on. "You know, I suddenly feel very recharged."

"That's good." She muttered beneath her breath as she watched him go. Her eyes glanced back at the tablet as she began to search once more, what was it that he had seen? 'Ah,' she saw them now. How the hell had she missed them in the first place? They had rainbow coloured hair for goodness sakes. "I pity them…" They really did look helpless. "So there the little children ran," narrated Ume lowly. "For here comes the Boogeyman, slauntering up their path to teach them good behaviour." Her eyes glanced back at Kuroko. "You can run, you can hide… but you'll never escape the Boogeyman once he sets his eyes on you."

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 **'Well done. You did excellent in the Interhigh.' – President Kuroko Tetsuya.**

Kasamatsu stared at the email he found in his University inbox. What did he mean? They lost. They had their asses handed to them by Murasakibara, Himuro and Yosen. The gap between their points was massive. Hadn't it been their objective to win for the sake of the school? Well clearly it wasn't what Kuroko had wanted. "He's messing with my brain." Muttered Kasamatsu. There was buzz on his phone, he glanced down at it to see a new message.

 **'Can we talk?' – Kise Ryouta.**

He expected this to happen. He chose to ignore the message, he didn't even open it. Instead, he opted to delete the message entirely. That didn't seem the deter the blonde as his phone started ringing. He felt his brow twitch before he impulsively grabbed the mobile device, "Don't you understand that when a person doesn't want to reply, he won't reply!" Roared Kasamatsu into the mobile device.

"But you answered, didn't you?" Crap, he had.

Kasamatsu let out an exasperated sigh as he leaned back in his desk chair, "What do you want Kise?"

"Why are you part of that team?"

"I study here." His answer was stoic, it was simple and it was all the blonde needed to know.

The line was silent for a while, "But that's not all, is it?"

He knew when to stop. "Good bye, Kise. I feel that it would be best if you didn't call me ever again, I wish you all the best in your studies." He hung up. Kasamatsu flipped his phone over and removed the battery. 'That takes care of that.' Returning to the screen before him, he couldn't help but reread the message. It still unnerved him.

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"Better run away, better run away, little rainbow children better run away. When the woods are black as night. That's the boogeyman's delight. Better run away, better run away. Little rainbow children run away, because when he comes and gets you, there's going to be no escape." Sang Kuroko softly to himself.

"I'm sure the song doesn't go that way."

"Doesn't matter, I changed it to my liking." He mused, it was soon. It was finally time, his stage had been set for him. 'Oh you better run, or else you'll truly get hurt.'

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 _'Save yourselves Generation of Miracles!'_

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 **Reviews are welcomed as always.**


	6. Chapter 6

**(Author's Note):** _This took me so long to write, and I apologize for the wait but I was really trying to figure out the time period of when Interhigh takes place and whether it would clash with the Lincoln Academic timetable. *sighs* Oh well, that's over and done with. Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko No Basuke, or Lincoln University (which is actually a real University in U.K., I don't study there though, but my friend does!). I feel like I should reply to some reviews, so I shall:_

 ** _I am sorry but I'll only be replying to reviews from Chapter 5, there's way too many of you guys but I love you all! (82 reviews man! And I've only written 5 chapters so far!)_**

 **CrazyBananaz:** _Thank you so much! Hope this chapter lives up to your expectations :)_

 **Saint Black Genesis:** _YES! OMG YES! Firstly, welcome to the fanfic. Secondly, YES! That scene you just described in your review was my driving motivation for the story! Like yes, I can totally see this happening and I will so make it happen when the time comes for his epic badass entrance. He deserves it, he really does, but seriously, your description was perfect. Every time I write a chapter, this scene will come up at least once in my mind XD_

 **chjasyrach:** _Well thank you, I am glad to hear that you are enjoying this fanfic._

 **Hana Riqa-chan:** _Yes, Kuroko needs all the love he can get in this story. Yep, updating as soon as I can!_

 **VeronicaChase:** _Well... He is the Phantom King, I don't think the Boogeyman is that far fetched XD_

 **Shadowlove'scookies:** _Thank you!_

 **CloudZzFluffyBedsOfWhite:** _Oh yes, don't worry! Time can only tell as the mystery will soon be unraveled, stay tuned!_

 **Izik Imanity:** _Well I'm glad that you enjoyed it, thank you for consistently supporting my work for the past few years! I really appreciated it a lot :)_

 **NinjaFang1331:** _Thanks!_

 **Cutie Pie:** _Will do!_

 **Shiranai Atsune:** _Yep, Kuroko didn't play in the Interhigh due to a clash in schedules, but he'll be playing eventually. Yes, epic dream team indeed! Haha of course Momoi will be there to collect her information, and why not drag him along too. I don't remember whether Riko was an A or B cup, it's been a while since I've watched the anime other than the Last Game. Yeah, they lost against Yosen. To be fair, they were up against the Murasakibara and Himuro duo. I had to think realistically when I wrote their matches, there was no way they could beat those two, they're really strong. Sorry, but I'm pretty bad at game play, but I'll have to write it soon enough XD The Kise and Kasamatsu relationship... We'll see._

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Golden orbs stared hard at the phone in his palms, Kasamatsu wasn't picking up or replying him. _**"The number you have dialled is not in service."**_ His lips moulded into an unflattering frown, one that could possibly give him wrinkles if he was not careful. Kise Ryouta did not like the result he was getting at all. It had been a little over a day since he had rung up his former captain, since then, he's been trying to reach back out to him but his attempts were futile, and bore less than desirable results. It appears that Kasamatsu had been very serious about cutting ties, which hurt the blonde because he did truly respect the man. Then again, it wasn't the first time he had been completely blocked by him. Thinking back, the last time he had been completely blocked by his former captain had been after… **that** , 'No.' Kise shook his head. He did not want to recall that memory at all, it was too negative to his liking.

Buzz… Buzz…

His hopes lit up, could it be? He looked down at the screen of his phone, he frowned. It wasn't the person he had wanted to hear from, but he had to answer. "Hello, Akashicchi," spoke Kise.

"How has your attempts been to talk to Kaijou's Kasamatsu Yukio been?" Straight to the point as always.

Kise sighed, "Well he answered me the first time I called, but then he refused to talk to me anymore after that." He informed him.

The red head on the other line remained silent for a while, "I see," he finally spoke after a moment. "It appears that the same thing had even happened to you." It hadn't been very long after the Yosen vs Lincoln match when Akashi had ordered each member of the Generation of Miracles to try and get in contact with their former captains since it seemed like the only effective way to gain answers since Momoi's attempts of gaining information had failed.

Kise thought for a moment, he can't say he's surprised that the rest failed, they weren't exactly close to their captains… but he and Kasamatsu had been closer (he liked to think) in comparison to the rest. But after the last Winter Cup, after **that** … everything went downhill. After the rumours had begun to spread around the basketball circuit of the aftermath, he had gradually become cold and distant to the small forward, until eventually… he cut him off. Luckily, he managed to speak to him again, but not as much as Kise would have liked. At first, the blonde let him have his space because he was starting university soon, so obviously he gave him time to himself to prepare, but then Kise found himself busy because he had to focus on basketball due to the Interhigh. He had actually hoped that after the Interhigh, he would have been able to catch up with him, but looking at current circumstances – that reality seemed very far away. He couldn't help but think that perhaps… "Hey Akashicchi, do you think that 'he' had something to do with this?" Asked the blonde.

Once more, there was silence. "No," he finally replied firmly. "There's no way someone like 'him' could have pulled all the resources to plan and execute this."

"… do you ever wondered what happened to 'him', or where 'he' went?" Kise couldn't help but carry on, he had to vent to someone, somebody on the inside who knew, and should be going through the same process as him. He just needed somebody to listen to him for once.

" **Ryouta, stop it**." Ordered Akashi, his tone was strained and stern. Kise could tell that he was angry, but the redhead was trying to conceal it. "I don't care where 'he' went or whatever happened to 'him', what did happen to 'him', 'he' probably deserved it. Now drop the topic and focus on the Winter Cup," He told him. "There is no doubt that we must prepare to face our former comrades. Goodbye." With that he hung up.

Kise sighed as he stared at the blank phone screen, "I know…" He knew he had to focus for the upcoming Winter Cup, but he simply couldn't shake off a feeling, a small, little gut feeling that 'he' was related to this whole thing… He felt his phone light up, he stared down at the incoming call from his managing agency. 'That's odd, they don't normally call me during basketball season. It must be important.' He answered it.

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Another day, another lecture done. Kasamatsu dragged himself to the basketball court for training, the main teams were all back from Indonesia, which meant they were probably going to get a talk from Kuroko. To his surprise, the sports hall they normally used was empty, except for a few university members. On the other hand, the high school members were notably absent. It had been like this for a few weeks already, but today, even the other former captains didn't seem to be present, but Fideo was. The Italian brightened as he spotted the teen. "Ah, hello!" He greeted in mildly accented Japanese. "Well done in the Interhigh competition." He said with a warm smile.

Kasamatsu nodded before glancing around, the students who had been training before were picking up their stuff now as they headed off to the changing rooms. They must have come in early by themselves, he didn't recall Coach scheduling any early practices. Did he miss something? "Where is everybody?" Asked the shorter teen.

Fideo stared at him, "Oh, you don't know?" He asked, mildly surprised. "It's Reading Week for most university subjects this week, so there are no classes. Those studying in the high school section aren't here because the International school is having their annual International Week this week, since it's their last week of school. Coach and President decided that it would be best to cancel practice until the Summer holidays are over." Informed the bronze haired teen. "They say that but I don't doubt that they'll schedule something during the summer break, like training camp. So don't leave the country just yet." Fideo joked.

He had received no news of this… But it did explain why he saw no sign of his roommates and friends on campus, they probably were on reading week and were taking this opportunity to sleep in or travel for fun, enjoying the true university life of freedom. He could feel his blood boiling as his forehead twitch in annoyance, those sneaky bastards. He took a deep breath and regained his composure, he didn't want to burst out in anger all of a sudden, especially not in front of an Olympian. "I see," Kasamatsu replied. "Thank you for informing me."

Fideo shook his head, "It's fine. I suppose we don't really have much of a summer holiday as the International school kids though," he sighed. "We still have a few exams, but once our exams are over, we don't need to worry until September." That was true, Kasamatsu nodded in understanding. It had been a bit odd adjusting to Lincoln's different schooling system. All his life he had been taught under the Japanese school system, but Lincoln aligned itself with the British education curriculum which followed different schedules, but Kasamatsu was slowly starting to understand it. "But Andy, Dylan and Tetsuya have it worse." Added Fideo suddenly, laughing to himself, his finger began to spin a basketball in his hand.

That caught his attention immediately. 'Kuroko had it worse?' "They do?" He asked in confusion. 'They have a longer holiday than us though…'

Fideo nodded, "Well, before you guys joined, they had just finished their AS examinations. It's like 50% of their final grade, and their results only come out during the summer holidays, so while we're all relaxing, they're probably going to be under all that pressure until their results come out." Fideo chuckled, but if he had to be honest, the only person he could envision actually worrying about his results would be the Australian. Dylan would care, he actually took his exams seriously. Andy and Tetsuya didn't seem to bother very much about their academics. Kasamatsu's train of thought followed the same line of thought, Kuroko's impassive face never leaving his head. 'That guy won't care…' "So, are you just going to practice this entire week, or are you and your friends going to go around the International school?" Asked Fideo, deciding it was best to change the topic.

"Are we supposed to go around?" Inquired Kasamatsu, his lecturers hadn't informed him about this. Then again, nobody had informed him about Reading Week or International Week. Not even the other captains, his forehead twitched the more he thought about it. This must have been what they were discussing about behind his back.

Fideo scratched the top of his head, "Well my younger brother's class is representing Denmark this year, and International Week is normally the time of year parents or family members come around to help out and stuff. Well you don't have to go during the weekdays, but Friday is the main highlight of International Week. All the classes have a parade around the school, the kids are dressed up in the national clothing of the country they represent. Not to mention that they can go around and visit the other classes and stuff, university students can join in on the fun that day." From what Fideo was telling him, it sounded a lot like the school festivals Kaijou used to hold. Fideo glanced at the clock hanging above the hall's door. "I've got to go, or else my little brother will scold me for not helping out." He informed him sheepishly. "It's good to see you practicing, but I don't think you need to work that hard since you're not playing as a starter at the Winter Cup. You should take this opportunity to rest since you just finished competing in the Interhigh."

Those last words caught his attention, he definitely hadn't heard of that before. "What do you mean we're not playing at the Winter Cup?" Didn't Kuroko tell us that we could have one last go to win it? His hands unconsciously clenched, a gesture that did not go unnoticed from the person in front of him.

Fideo got it, he was the same. The guy in front of him loved basketball, and to be told that he wouldn't be playing in the biggest event of the year, it's like a slap to his face. He knew the feeling that Kasamatsu was feeling now, he's been there before, but still – he should have already been informed since the beginning of the year. Fideo looked at him with confused brown eyes, his brows furrowed. "Didn't Coach, or President tell you? You guys are probably going to be sitting on the bench. It was decided since before the Interhigh tournament that the main team will be playing throughout the Winter Cup tournament, seeing as the scheduling doesn't clash with our other tournaments."

"No, this is the first time I've heard news of this." Answered Kasamatsu stiffly.

"Well, I'm not the one making the executive decisions around here, but that's all I know." He told him honestly. "If you want to know more, I guess it'll be best if you ask the President, but even I haven't seen him around." It was a busy time for the Student Council after all.

"I'm afraid that it'll be impossible for anybody to meet with him this week," Stated Ume, the girl's sudden appearance startling both the university students. The girl was out of her usual Lincoln school uniform, instead she wore a sort of casual t-shirt dress and blue sneakers. Her hair was loose, but her determined and focus expression was still evident as her eyes scanned the clipboard in her hands. "Pardon my intrusion, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation." She informed them. "As Mr. Fideo has stated, the President is very busy, likewise with all members of the Student Council, seeing as this is an event open to the public. If you would like to talk to the President, I'd advise you to do it over email." With that, she left as quickly as she came.

"Don't be offended by their brashness, they're like this every year." Stated Fideo. "But you heard her. Just drop the President an email through the school database and I'm sure everything will be explained and cleared out to you in no time." He told Kasamatsu before he tossed the ball over his shoulder, never even looking back once. "Well, I've got to go, so ciao¬" He said with a warm smile before heading to the changing rooms.

Kasamatsu nodded, and watched him leave. His ears perked up, the ball should have dropped by now and landed somewhere but there haven't been any signs of it yet. He heard the swooshing of a net as he turned to stare wide eyed, as the ball Fideo had thrown landed softly on the ground and rolled to the side. The backboard of the net remained still, unshaken by any movement at all. It was as though the ball had landed perfecting through the net without ever touching the rim as it passed, but that was impossible. From where Fideo had been standing, there was no way he could have even got the ball to the net from the angle he was at, or from the way he threw the ball. 'Not unless he was Midorima…' He stared hard at the hallway that Fideo had disappeared into. 'That guy…' Kasamatsu couldn't help but smile, "He truly is an Olympian."

"He is." Ume spoke, her back pressed against the wall in the shadows of the dark deserted hallway, obscuring Kasamatsu's view. Fideo had walked past, but if he had noticed her, he didn't say anything. Her arms tightly clasped the papers as she ran towards the Student Council office, she was late. She could have left earlier, but she had been curious about their conversation and decided to stay back and listen in. A poor decision made on her part. Once arriving at the Student Council office, she braced herself for the imminent chaos inside.

Unlike most days, all members were present and busy at their own work stations in preparation for the upcoming festive activities. She moved around the Vice-President's desk where piles of class forms were towered around the desk as the girl approved or rejected the planned activities proposed by each class and their teacher's. Beside her, the treasurer processed observer application of guest from the public, hoping to enter the festival. Other than the usual parents and students, it was no surprise for a prestigious school like Lincoln to also receive applications from guest outside the school, but only from those who were willing to pay such a high price for an entrance ticket. "You're late." Ume stiffened but bowed apologetically to Kuroko who sat at his desk, a layout plan in front of him as he noted down the location of all the events. "The forms." He held out a pale hand, his teal gaze never once left the map.

"They've all been signed by the head of faculties." Informed Ume, Kuroko nodded as he checked the documents before handing it over to the official secretary of the Student Council.

"Make a photocopy of these before filing them for reference." The secretary nodded, moving swiftly. Ume watched him leave, it irked her to remember that she was not actually an official member of the Student Council, but only Kuroko's assistant. "You were delayed," began Kuroko, his eyes flickered up to stare at her. "Why?"

She felt herself stiffen once more, her eyes never dared to meet his. "I was merely observing the interaction between Kasamatsu-san and Fideo." That caught his attention.

"Oh, so he knows then."

"Yes," answered Ume. "If he does as Fideo instructed him too, you'll be receiving an email from him soon."

"Doubtful." Stated Kuroko in absolute bluntness. He wouldn't do it, the former Kaijo captain wouldn't even reply his congratulatory email. He had a hunch that the teen was still avoiding him, but he didn't care. He had other things that needed more immediate attention, like International Week. It was the pride of the Student Council to ensure that everything ran smoothly and that all participants enjoyed the event to the fullest. Everything had to be perfect, it had to be.

The secretary of the Student Council leaned in to whisper something into the powdered blue haired teen's ear, "It appears that someone has been trying to hack our student database, and the sports database, Sir." He informed him. "The time and date of the hacking was approximately during the late period of the games in Indonesia. However, the infiltrator had failed to retrieve any data because of the data protection safeguard we had installed previously."

Kuroko chuckled, his eyes lit up amused. Late period of the games in Indonesia? That aligned perfectly with the start of the Interhigh preliminaries, and if he wasn't mistaken, it was exactly during the debut of the former captains. He smirked, "Does that mean it's safe for me to assume that all data has been erased and deleted?" He asked, the secretary nodded. "So, the only copy would be the physical documents locked in my private office then." He glanced back at the secretary, a thin smile on his lips. "Drop the safeguard," he started, stunning the teen for a moment. "And install a fake file with the 'data' that they desire, but encrypt it with a virus – one that will disable everything on their device and all devices connected to it." He told him. "There's been a pink pest snooping through our school database on the loose, and I think it's time that we tackled our little pest problem and show them that nobody touches Lincoln territory without a price. Can you do that, Jimin-kun?"

"But our current data protection is strong enough to prevent any data from being stolen." Replied the secretary, now identified as Jimin.

"Yes," answered Kuroko. "Call it intuition, but I have feeling that our hacker will try again soon." Jimin nodded, he couldn't do anything. Even if he did, it was pointless, after all, Kuroko's word was law. "On that note, we should reinforce security of the main day of the festival," reaffirmed Kuroko. "Arrange something."

Jimin nodded, "Will do, President."

Ume raised a brow as Kuroko leaned back in his chair, his eyes met hers as she raised a brow at his blank expression. "They're getting rather crafty." He mused softly. The Treasurer rose from his desk, he handed Kuroko the finalised list of the guest. His eyes lightly gazed over the names before pausing on one, he smirked. "This will be interesting."

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"We need to go to every class and collect a stamp." Proclaimed Okamura, the paper passport in his hand as he stared at all the class names and numbers that he needed to fill in. The man was determined to conquer each class and win the grand prize. "Let's go!" He didn't wait for an answer and ran off into the crowd that had started to form the moment the gates were open to the public.

Kasamatsu didn't understand why he was here, he didn't particularly enjoy events like this. It was always crowded and too noisy for his preference. It made him feel uncomfortable slightly. He felt a nudge at his side as he scowled at the bespectacled person smirking beside him, of course he would get stuck with his roommate. "I'm surprised you're not trying to worm your way out of this." Mused Imayoshi, sending the shorter teen a smile. "Rumour has it that you lose your voice and composure the moment a member of the opposite gender starts talking to you." And that was the main reason why Kasamatsu hated festivals like these, it always allowed people to take a jab at his lack of social skills.

"I'm not that bad," murmured Kasamatsu beneath his breath as they entered the main campus of Lincoln's International School section. The large football field that was normally empty was swarming with mini stalls from each classroom as students and their parents attempted to convince guest to visit their classrooms. Each stall was extravagantly decorated with bright colours and props representing their class's country. His eyes narrowed, he felt his jaw slack slightly. "Is that kid riding an elephant?" He glanced at the creature beside the stall representing India.

"Well, they do have the money." Replied Imayoshi, who shrugged. He wasn't surprised, the grand prize for collecting all stamps was a brand-new sports car, hence why Okamura has sworn to win at all cost. "Looks like you have a lot of competition, gorilla." Commented the former Touo captain as he stared at the mass of university students who began charging towards the main building where the stamps and challenges awaited.

Okamura grinned, "Yeah, but do they all have the same resolve as me to continue going through each task until the very end?"

"The team currently in first place already has ten stamps." Noted Mayuzumi as he stared at the projecting board by the grand stand of seats. That was enough to send the burly teen running full speed ahead.

Imayoshi smiled, "After him!" He grabbed Kasamatsu despite the shorter teen's protest. Kasamatsu felt his forehead twitch even more in irritation, he knew he should have taken this opportunity to escape like Otsubo had. Mayuzumi stared at them, the teen rolled his eyes before taking out a map of the listed classrooms. His eyes scanned the themes until he found one that he liked. He wasn't going to follow them, it was a day off for goodness sakes, he deserved this break.

"Here you go, here's a map of the school with all the classrooms listed and their designated country themes." The girl was blushing as she handed the outsider the booklet, the visitor sent her a smile. She felt her face flush even more. "He's so hot!" She whispered to her friend.

Her voice hadn't been soft enough as the visitor heard, the corner of his lips tilted upwards with a smirk as he continued walking through the main gates of the campus. "So, this is where Kasamatsu-senpai is studying," mused Kise, he took a moment to take in the entire campus. "It's so big, way bigger than Kaijo." He noted the mass influx of people moving through the campus and frowned to himself, 'I came here hoping that I'll be able to see Kasamatsu-senpai and surprise him by telling him it was a coincidence, but that might be hard since I can't see him anywhere.' He pouted as he tried looking around for the teen, no luck. It didn't help that his former captain wasn't exactly the tallest athlete out there.

"Man, that gorilla guy is really catching up on the leader board." His ear twitched as he caught the comment.

'Gorilla guy… Yosen's Okamura?' Kise paused in his footsteps as he stared at the two tween boys in front of him, they wore costumes from a foreign country, what country – Kise honestly didn't know, academics was not his strong suit, but they were pointing at the massive screen at the back of the field. 'How the hell did I miss that? It's huge!' He stared at it before his eyes widened. 'There it is!'

 _ **2\. Kenichi Okamura – Lincoln University, First year: 43 stamps. Current location: Romania**_

An image of the man was beside the name, Kise cringed slightly at the image. It was not the most flattering. If that as his university ID photograph, the blonde had to pity the man. Okamura had attempted to present his best smile, his hair gelled back but the results were less than flattering. "Yep, that's him." He watched as the location status beside his name changed from Romania to Egypt. 'Wait a minute,' the blonde thought of something. 'Kasamatsu-senpai must be with him. That means I just need to continually refer to the board to know where they're at.' He smiled, his eyes determined as he walked to the main building.

Kasamatsu felt like he was facing death, he couldn't believe that Kuroko had actually approved of some of the things he had just experienced. The kids in classroom Romania had actually built a mini replica of Dracula's castle inside their classroom, and had actual coffins set up inside the place while they expected visitors to find hidden clues in the coffin. How the hell did they even get their parents to approve and pay for that? On second thought, he didn't want to know. If classroom India could set up an elephant camp, why couldn't they? It couldn't get any worse, right? "Here is your torchlight, map and reference chart, go into the sphinx, then find and break the hieroglyphic code!" The student beamed at him, the kid could not have been older than ten years old. The moment the classroom door was opened, he felt a breeze of sand smack him in the face. He stepped in and stared at the ground. 'Yep, they have sand. This entire classroom has been flooded with sand.' He heard the door behind them shut, the lights in the room switched off as darkness engulfed them.

"Did we just get locked in another dark classroom by a kid who hasn't even reached puberty?" growled Kasamatsu, his shoulders began to shake.

He didn't need light to guess that Imayoshi was laughing beside him. "They don't mean any harm, it's just all for fun." He reminded him lightly.

"The team who came in before us had to be carried out by medics because they apparently fell into a pit of scorpions." Stated Kasamatsu, his torchlight was switched on as he pointed in at the ground, keeping his eyes peeled for any signs of scorpions or anything in particular that could sting.

Imayoshi shrugged, flipping the switch on his own torchlight. He smirked, pointing it up to his face. "It isn't a haunted pyramid unless there's life threatening traps in here." He chuckled.

"I found it!" Yelled Okamura's voice.

Kasamatsu had to admit, he was impressed by the determination showed by the former Yosen captain today. He really wanted that car. It wasn't long before they had escaped classroom Egypt and were well on their way to the next destination. "Kasamatsu-senpai!" Wait, he knew that voice. The shorter teen didn't dare turn around. He didn't want to face the truth, he cringed. Yep, he definitely did not want to confirm his suspicious on who the voice belonged to.

"You've been compromised¬" Whispered Imayoshi.

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"Let's go there next!" Beamed Kise, pointing to classroom Italy. "I hear they're making real pizza and calzones in that classroom from an actual stone oven." He said, a smile on his lips as the Kaijo ace made his way into the classroom, an irked Kasamatsu trailing behind him.

He didn't know what he was more pissed off at, the fact that he was being dragged around by this blonde puppy, or the fact that he had been abandoned by both the former Touo and Yosen captains that had run off in the opposite direction. Just thinking back at how Imayoshi had called out Kise, pointing at him, just irritated him even more. Yeah, it was definitely the fact that he was abandoned that was the source of his current mood. 'He's dead.' He was going to make sure that his roommate paid dearly tonight. 'I'll lock him out of the flat and leave him to starve and die outside.' Kasamatsu nodded to himself, that seemed like a full proof plan.

"You seem well, Kasamatsu-senpai," said Kise, catching the elder's attention. "You really seem to be enjoying yourself at university." He told him with a smile. "Maybe I should apply to study here." Kise played with the idea, his blonde eyes never once looking away from Kasamatsu's face, he studied his expression.

"With your grades, I doubt they'll ever accept you." Kasamatsu bluntly stated.

Kise pouted, "I'm getting better! Besides, I'm sure I can get some sort of scholarship to study here!" Exclaimed the part time model. "So, mean."

'So stressful,' sighed Kasamatsu as he leaned back in his seat. He had forgotten how mentally exhausting it was to deal with a person like Kise.

"Did you mean it?" asked Kise, suddenly.

Kasamatsu's brows furrowed in confusion. "Did I mean what?" He chose his words carefully.

"When you said that I couldn't call you again," stated Kise, his expression hardened as he stared at his former comrade with serious eyes. He wanted to know, he deserved to know. "Why did you do it, Kasamatsu-senpai?" What are you hiding?

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 **Reviews are much appreciated as always! Stayed tuned!**


	7. Chapter 7

**(Author's Notes)** _: Hello! So unfortunately my summer holidays are ending, and that means I'll be busy again once I return to U.K. to start my second year at University... But, don't worry, I'll try to update this as fast as I can, anyways, thank you all so much for the support of this story and the previous chapter. As always, I do not own nothing._

 **Firelilly050:** _Yes, and it's just beginning._

 **Guest:** _Thank you, I hope you liked having your mind blown._

 **CrazyBananaz:** _Thank you, thank you! I hope this chapter lives up to your expectation._

 **spirithealerstar1122:** _Thanks, I'm glad that you're reading it._

 **Izik Imanity:** _Yep, hard to believe that it has been a few years. Thanks so much for always supporting my stories and writing, I really appreciate it. And yes, Kuroko will always be a little devious witch._

 **animeeclipse:** _Well, there is a reason for that, and it shall soon be revealed down below..._

 **VeronicaChase:** _I may have named him Jimin, but I seriously kept envisioning Jungkook instead!_

 **Lolo:** _I'd like to think he's popular, after all, he is the Student Council President._

 **Allenfan:** _Yep! I love dark Kuroko too!_

 **Saint Black Genesis:** _Well I wouldn't feel sorry for Momoi just yet, after all, she is basically invading personal privacy by hacking. But we'll see if they talk it out in the end... Haha isn't Kise always pushy though? Also, I have to agree, they're like the Three Musketeers!_

 **Hana Riqa-chan:** _Hahah, well I'm glad you liked the ending! And that's exactly where the story shall continue! I hope you enjoy it :)_

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"Why did you do it, Kasamatsu-senpai?" Kise had leaned forward, his elbows rested against the table, his fingers knotted together as he stared at the senior he respected so much. His golden orbs hardened in anticipation. He may have come here on an agency job today, but that didn't mean he didn't come here with the ulterior motive – Kise had come to get some answers for himself. He wanted to hear them with his own ears, coming out of Kasamatsu's own mouth. He didn't want to hear answers passed on to him through other people, who knew how credible or reliable their words would be? People always talked, and he despised how easily it was for one little sentence to become twisted and false. No, he wasn't going to risk it. He had to know the truth. 'He's taking a while…' His eyes observed, noting every little detail about his senpai's body language. It was stiff, Kasamatsu was uncomfortable, but why?

The former Kaijo captain wasn't going to lie, he had expected something like this. He just didn't expect this confrontation to take place so soon. He had to think of something, an excuse to throw him off, distract him from his initial question… then again, he could always tell Kise the truth. Confess everything right here, right now… Tell him about Kuroko, his invitation, hell, even about his new superpowered team that will be sure to stun people in the Winter Cup… He heaved a sigh, he decided. Kasamastu leaned forward, matching Kise's gaze, his elbows propping up to mirror the blonde's pose. He took a deep breath before he spoke, "I have exams now," he deadpanned in response. "And frankly, you're annoying me with your phone calls. It pisses me off when I'm trying to study, and it makes me lose focus." He told him bluntly. "Every time I see your name anyway on my phone or laptop, I feel this urge to destroy something or kick someone." He couldn't do it. In the end, he couldn't say anything about Kuroko, not when he wasn't even sure himself on where he stood in this entire situation. There were too many things that were still left unanswered, so many crucial aspects unsaid. When he thought about everything that he knows, and the events that had happened so far… there were too many gaps to fill, like why, or even how Kuroko was doing all of this. Furthermore, there was no guarantee what Kuroko would do to him if he did tell Kise, and that honestly scared him. After all, he was a man of power in this school, and Kasamatsu was simply a pawn in his game.

Kise drew back immediately, his eyes widened in mild shock. It hadn't been an answer that he had been expecting from him. He felt the tense atmosphere evaporate within seconds. "Ehh, is that so? I'm so sorry then Senpai!" He exclaimed, placing his palms together as he held it in front of his head. "I didn't know. I actually thought you hated me since you weren't replying to me at all!" He pouted, before smiling at him. 'I guess 'he' doesn't have anything to do with this after all.' The blonde felt relieved, the tension he hadn't realised he had been holding onto finally lifted from his being. 'Now I can truly enjoy this day.' He felt himself grin. "But if I was that much of a distraction for you, why don't you just cut me out of your life? (But I would be very hurt if you did something as cruel as that…)."

"Even if I did hate you, I can't exactly cut you out of my life." Replied Kasamatsu, the older teen sighed. He knew the blonde too well, he was too persistent for his own good. 'Like a lost puppy desperate for its owner.' He couldn't help but think. "Honestly…" He let out a sigh as he watched the food arrive at their table, Kise's eyes immediately brightened as the model dug into his food. The confrontation clearly pushed behind them. 'I just dodged a bullet back there.' He grabbed a fork and knife as he started to dig into his own dish, a classic calzone. 'He bought the lie. Good…' He flinched as Kuroko's smiling face briefly flickered in his mind sending shivers down the back of his neck, his eyes snapped to the doorway. 'Why do I feel as though I'm being watched…' His eyes turned to scan his surroundings, he didn't exactly see a familiar face in the classroom at this very moment. All he saw were parents, their kids, university student customers and a pink bunny mascot walking around with balloons. His eyes flickered to the surveillance cameras positioned in the corridors of the school, 'He wouldn't… would he?'

"It's good isn't it, senpai?" inquired Kise, bringing Kasamatsu out of his thoughts as he responded with a silent nod. "You're so lucky that your school has such exciting events like these." Mused the blonde, he sighed. "This festival kind of makes Kaijo and Teiko's ones look dull and plain." Admitted the blonde. Teiko's cultural festivals were extravagant, but not to the level of Lincoln. 'I don't think Akashicchi would have approve of live animals, or coffins on school grounds. Aomineicchi would have screamed from all the coffins.' The blonde chuckled.

Kasamatsu had to agree on his last statement. Although Kaijo's campus was massive, and filled with the latest facilities in Japan, everything was simply just plain in comparison to the imported items shipped from the West. Not to mention that Lincoln's festive had an entrance fee, while Kaijo's was free for all visitors. That reminded him of something, "Kise," began Kasamatsu. "How did you manage to get into the festival in the first place?" He was curious, from what Fideo had said, this event was exclusively open to only parents, and students of the Lincoln institution with the exception of some guest from outside. According to what Okamura and Imayoshi had told him previously in the morning, even the amount of guest to this festival was so limited because of the incredibly expensive entrance fees, so how the hell did a high schooler get in? Unless… 'Do teen models actually make a lot of money?' He was aware that Kise had two photo books, and did often disappear from practice because of his busy schedule. 'But if he does make so much money, why does he even bother with high school anymore?' Then again… his grades did seem to show that he never did take high school seriously. The conclusion just seemed to irk Kasamatsu. 'Not only is he a good-looking idiot whose talented at basketball, but he's also an idiot who doesn't need to graduate to earn a living.'

"Oh," Kise smiled. "I'm actually on an advertising job today!" He explained with a bright smile, taking a moment to pose. "One of the fashion lines that I model for dressed me, and asked me to go around the festival dressed like this." He pointed out his trendy clothes. It was incredibly flashy, Kasamatsu felt like an idiot for not noticing them earlier. "Turns out a lot of the parents in this school have strong links and ties to the fashion industry, which is why the company wanted to send a model here to basically walk around and strike a good impression on them. You know, advertising in the flesh. The higher ups said that if they saw how good the clothes looked on me, they might feel like using more clothing from the fashion line, or something like that." He told him.

"So, you basically got a free pass that was paid for you by your modelling agency, and you thought it'd be fun to drop by and see how I was?" He couldn't help but ask. Kise nodded in response. 'Why do I doubt that?' Kasamatsu couldn't help but wonder as he stared at the blonde. As much as he wanted to know more, or learn Kise's real motive for being here, he didn't dare push his luck. Who knew when Kise could turn the tables on him again, like just now. 'He is more perspective than most people give him credit for, and that's what makes him a dangerous factor right now.' Kasamatsu racked his brain, he couldn't recall if he had seen any pieces of information regarding the Student Council, but if there was any up on display, he would have to keep an eye out for it, and make sure that it does not ever find its way to a certain pair of golden eyes. Hell, he'd have to make sure they don't run into Kuroko in the flesh himself. No matter how good his misdirection may be, he wouldn't put it past Kise to detect him. From what Kasamatsu could recall from the past, the blonde had a sort of radar for the former Seirin Phantom. "So, where do you want to go next?"

Kise looked up from his food with a thoughtful expression on his face as the blonde paused, he thought about it for a while. "Well I didn't really get a chance to look around the school much because I was trying to see you first, and basically skipped out on most of the earlier classes." He told him with a beaming grin. "So, if senpai doesn't mind, could we go see all the classes?" asked the blonde, his eyes twinkling in absolute glee. He looked like a child at an amusement park, bursting with energy and excitement.

Somehow, the idea of bringing Kise into classrooms like class Romania and Egypt were less than appealing to him. As amusing as it was to scare his former teammate, Kasamatsu didn't really want to hear him scream. His ear drums couldn't take it, plus, he was pretty sure he was very done with those two classes and did not want to go back. 'Wait a minute… isn't he supposed to be working?' He felt a twitch at his forehead, 'Of course he would get distracted by the classes.' Easily, Kasamatsu decided that it was time for him to take charge of this situation. Not only to ensure that the blonde actually did what he was paid to do, but also to keep him away from a certain lurking phantom (wherever he was). "Kise, you mentioned before that you were advertising a fashion line," The blonde nodded to the statement. "Did your agency mention specifically which VIPs they wanted to see their work the most?" Asked the black haired teen.

Kise pondered for a moment before he took out his phone and checked. He vaguely recalled his manager informing about some names. "I do, but I don't know where they'll be." He admitted sheepishly. "They didn't really say where these VIPs would be since they are parents (and it would just be an invasion of privacy to find out)." Added Kise, his eyes focusing on the emails and messages he received, flipping through them very quickly.

'This whole idea of sending you to their children's school to advertise is just an invasion of privacy…' "Do you have the names? Maybe I can find something in the student guide's instead of the visitor's." Said Kasamatsu, leaning back in his seat as he resisted frowning in annoyance. He honestly doubted that there would be any information like this in the student's version of the festival guide book, to be honest, he hadn't even opened his guide book at all today considering that he had simply been shadowing Okamura and Imayoshi about. He reached to his back pocket when he had simply shoved the small book handed to him when they entered the festival premises, to his surprise, the guide book did have that information.

 _ **For future students who wish to make a good impression on their future employers¬ Here is a list of executive parents, their industry, connections and where they will be (their children's classroom and location!). Good luck! This is for your futures!**_

'No wonder there had been so many university students present today.' Kasamatsu internally sighed, his hands gripping the pages of the book as he stared at the opening paragraph bolden compared to the rest. 'So, this festival was also an employability fair in a way…' Nevertheless, this simply made his job easier for him. "Kise, I think we can use this." He said, showing the male model the guide. "You should be able to find your people on here." He told him, flipping through the pages that were categorised by industry occupation before handing it over.

Golden orbs widened in surprise as he took the booklet from his friend, he stared as he quickly found the section for the fashion industry, each individual executive identified. "Wow, Lincoln is really prepared to give their students the best experience…" He noted before perking up. 'They even have tips down here on what to start conversations with, and what their hobbies are…' "Maybe I should apply here after all." Exclaimed Kise, grinning. "Lincoln really thinks of everything."

Kasamatsu still doubted he would ever get accepted, even if his grades did miraculously improve, there was a certain light blue haired shadow behind the scenes that would ensure the blonde never entered his domain. Kuroko would fail and reject him on the spot, just like how he should have rejected Kise's guest application to begin with… but he didn't. 'Odd. Unless… he wanted to be found?' They were soon on their way as Kise continued to drag the latter around with him, much to Kasamatsu's irritation but he didn't say anything, instead, he kept his eyes wide open to spot for a certain member of the Student Council, but the phantom never showed. It wasn't long before Kise had to actually leave because he had to return the clothes to the company, but the blonde had left in a rush, and relatively quietly for once. A simple goodbye, and then he was gone. This left the former Kaijo captain alone at last, he found himself walking back on campus, he wasn't sure where Okamura and Imayoshi were now, and he wasn't that willing to regroup with them after them had practically tossed him at the miracle member. 'Those bastards…' He cursed. 'No, that bastard…' Imayoshi's smiling face haunted his thoughts as he scowled.

The teen had been so caught up in his thoughts that he had not realised he had stumbled into a less crowded section of the school, Kasamatsu stopped in his steps as he glanced around at his current surroundings. There was a lack of university students present, but an increase of parents, very young parents. Where was he? He looked at the classroom windows and the display boards to get a sort of idea of which class country he had stumbled upon, but they didn't say. Instead, it seemed to be labelled with a title of some sort of book, or story. "I didn't realise you enjoyed reading books, Kasamatsu-san." A voice spoke from beside him, the teen practically jumped out of his skin as he turned to see the former Rakuzan phantom behind him.

Mayuzumi stood there, his face impassive, but it wasn't his expression that had caught his attention, it was the hat he was wearing. A paper cut out of the Mad Hatter's hat, all coloured in and self-decorated. Kasamatsu noticed the teen's hand, it was stamped all over with class stamps. "Were you here the entire time?" Asked the teen, in mild shock. He didn't expect the teen to participate in a festival like this, he always seemed like the type that would rather lock himself indoors and enjoy a quiet night reading, opposed to actually coming outside today to spend time with people who wouldn't actually notice him at all. In all honestly, it seemed like it would have been a waste of Mayuzumi's time.

"Yes," the grey-haired teen nodded. "The younger years didn't do countries, instead, they had dedicated their classrooms to a storybook." Exclaimed the teen, his tone remained deadpanned and his face stoic, but Kasamatsu got the feeling that he was full excitement with that statement. He could have sworn he saw Mayuzumi's eyes begin to twinkle as he spoke. "Wonderful, isn't it?" He asked as he looked around at the extravagantly decorated classrooms. "Not many visitors come here anyway since it's not a part of the stamp collection contest." Informed Mayuzumi, his lips flickering upwards in a small smile, he looked happy.

"Yes…" Replied Kasamatsu, awkwardly. He couldn't pull his eyes away from Mayuzumi, he was displaying an oddly hidden side to him right now, one that Kasamatsu suspected he would never see again after this day. But his statement did explain why he couldn't spot any flags around here, only large cut outs of animal characters and other familiar childhood images were adorned around in the hallway. "It must be more peaceful around here." He said, his eyes observing the atmosphere as most children were in their classrooms, their parents by their sides to accompany them – more specifically, to discipline and control them… 'Not to mention that there are no university students here (excluding the two of us.' It was calm and serene, he could only wish that his day had been like this. Instead he was betrayed and was stuck with a golden retriever.

Mayuzumi couldn't help but disagree with the shorter teen's observation, shaking his head. Unlike Kasamatsu, he had been here the whole day, from the very beginning. He could have left anytime he wanted to, but he hadn't been allowed to. "No, these little monsters are merciless and vicious. They've been detained in this area so long that it's driving them insane. And it's not just the children, but their parents too…" He lifted his hand and pulled up his shirt sleeve to reveal painted skin, to further emphasise his point across. It was not even close to being a masterpiece. Kasamatsu winced as he stared at him, he felt pity for him. "I became a human canvas a while back, not a wonderful experience…" He muttered lowly. "Anyway… has that pink rabbit been following you for the entire day?" asked Mayuzumi, his finger pointed to the mascot animal, balloons in its hands as it waved back at him, Mayuzumi returned the gesture.

Kasamatsu snapped his head around, steel grey eyes widened in surprise. "What?" His body whipped around to stare at the overly familiar costumed figure that stood silently outside a classroom window, peering into the class. 'How did I miss that rabbit?' The mascot wasn't the biggest or the flashiest, but the bundle of brightly assorted balloons in its palms was huge and should have given him an indication that it was practically around. He thought for a moment… 'Now that Mayuzumi mentions it…. That rabbit has been everywhere I went today! Ever since Kise had arrived.' He couldn't help but feel unnerved by the situation, unless… He walked towards it, stopping in front of the costumed animal, the rabbit turned and dismissingly acknowledged his presence before focusing back at to the events inside the classroom. 'I could be wrong, it could just be a coincidence but…' "Kuroko… is that you?" Asked Kasamatsu, unsure.

Its head turned, staring at him in silence for a while before it held out its bouquet of balloons, ushering the teen to take it away from it. He hesitated at first, but he eventually took it. Arms dropped before they slowly moved to remove the animal head, he felt himself hold his breath in anticipation. "Nope, not him." Deadpanned Ume, the girl lifted the rabbit head off her being as she stared at him blankly. Dropping the rabbit head aside, she took back the balloons. "But if you want to talk to him…" She pointed inside with her free hand. Taking a closer look inside the class, he noted a certain teal haired teen sitting in a large red chair, a vividly serene smile on his lips as the children in the classroom surrounded him by his feet. "Deceiving isn't it…" Mused Ume, she looked amused herself.

"Is he telling them the story about the Boogeyman?" inquired Mayuzumi, appearing beside Kasamatsu as the teen also glanced into the room. He noted the dark, spooky decorations that dressed the room. The haunted screaming trees, the cut outs of scared children in their beds, and a lot of red eyes. "I didn't think that he would like this story…" He added, but to be honest, he didn't think most people did. There were various variations of the story, depending on where you lived, the moral and appearance of the so-called 'Boogeyman' varied, but there was one thing that was kept the same – bad children always went missing in the end. He didn't think the story was appropriate for children, especially not five or six-year olds… it was a little too morbid for them, wasn't it?

"You'd be surprised," replied Ume. "He loves this story more than you think." She told them, her arms crossed as she stared, fixated at Kuroko's storytelling performance. They couldn't hear his voice from where they stood outside, but they understood how the story was going as he started drawing on the small white board beside his chair. His eyes widening along with his smile. "After all, the bad children always get caught by the Boogeyman."

Kasamatsu couldn't help but feel uncomfortable as he watched Kuroko, the pale teen's hands moved as they drew on the 'bad children', and then the Boogeyman himself. He couldn't shake of the cold feeling of dread as he stared into the mortified faces of the drawings. "Is it me, or does those bad children look hauntingly like the Generation of Miracles." Stated Mayuzumi, Ume shrugged.

He stared, fixated at the scene before him. Kuroko seemed oblivious to the uncomfortableness of the children by his feet, his hands continued to draw, his mouth moved as he continued his narration. He seemed lost in his own little world as he spoke, he didn't seem to notice the teary faces of the younger generation, some who had turned to hug their best friends in fear. "What happens in the end of the story?" Asked Kasamatsu. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Kuroko, the smaller teen smiled, a soft kind smile upon his lips as he spoke. One could never tell that the story he was telling was as twisted and horrific as it was, unless they heard it for themselves. 'Even their parents look unnerved by this story…' He noted the adults stiff posture, their faces paling. Some mothers had moved to cover their mouths, they looked sick. 'That must be some story…'

Ume was silent for a moment, she hesitated but decided to answer in the end, her eyes never looking away from his face. "Well, in the end, the Boogeyman steals them away in the night," she told him. "And they are _**never seen ever again**_." Kuroko's hand moved as the teen swiftly striked at the 'bad' children's faces, the chalk in his hand snapped as it fell to the ground. "Only the Boogeyman knows." He turned his attention back to his audience, Kuroko smiled as he placed the chalk down, his teal eyes stared back out of the window and held Kasamatsu's gaze. "But most people believe that _**he ate them**_."

Kuroko smirked.

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He was lucky to have caught the train just in time. After leaving the festival at Lincoln, he had to rush back to his modelling company in Tokyo to return the work clothes before running back to the train station in order to catch the afternoon train. Kise slumped back in his seat in relief, he felt as though he could finally relax now, the day was over. The best part was that he managed to get his answers, all the confusion and thoughts that had clouded his mind was finally gone, completely cleared and resolved. He felt exuberant, 'Wait… Is it even possible to feel tired yet excited at the same time?' A ringing from his phone interrupted his serene silence as he begrudgingly dug it out from his pocket, 'Who could it be now?' He sighed before noting the caller ID. 'Ah…' Without hesitating, he answered the call. "Hello Akashicchi!" he said, his mood shining through his chirpy tone.

" _I assume you enjoyed your day inside Lincoln's private festival,"_ said the voice of Akashi Seijuro from the other side.

"It wasn't private, Akashicchi. Besides, you could have afforded the entrance fees to enter." Replied Kise, 'Honestly, you're probably the only one who could have afforded it.' He had initially planned to invite his other teammates to come along with him to see their former captain, but the moment he set his golden eyes on the price for one head entry into the festival, he wanted to cry. It was too expensive! The price of one ticket was the equivalent to all the money had made as a teen model so far, and his family would have scolded him like crazy for spending that kind of money on an entry ticket. Then again… After actually seeing the festival itself, he could understand why it was exclusively expensive. If he hadn't been given this job, he would definitely never come to the festival no matter how much he wanted to see Kasamatsu.

The other line was silent for a moment, _"That would simply be a waste of my time, and money. I have no reason to go to Lincoln,"_ answered the red head. _"However, how did it go? Did you find the answers you were seeking there?"_ Asked Akashi.

That brought a smile to the blonde's lips. It reminded him of why he was so happy in the first place. "Yep, turns out I was overreacting the entire time! He just didn't want to talk to me because I would be distracting him away from his exam studies. Maybe that's why the other members didn't answer or reply too, it's probably exam season for all of them, Akashicchi." He told him. "We were worried for no reason." He added. 'Or maybe it was just me that was most worried…' The blonde could not help but think, after all, he could hardly imagine the rest of the Generation of Miracles actually caring that much about someone, other than themselves.

Silence once more, _"Yes, that's good to know… but what about your other curiosity, Ryouta,"_ asked Akashi, his tone low. _"Is 'he' there at Lincoln?"_ Ah, that's right.

Kise was silent for a moment, his bright mood instantly took a 360 degree turn as he paused, thinking back about his day. On the surface, he may had been cheery eyed, enjoying his day as he strolled about Lincoln with Kasamatsu, but beneath the surface – he was looking out for any signs of 'him'. Nothing, he hadn't seen any sort of sign of him there. "No, 'he' isn't." Answered Kise, he stared outside the window. The skyline flying by at an incredible speed, the day was ending as the sun started to set outside the train. "I guess I overreacted when I thought that 'he' could have been there." Admitted the blonde.

" _I already told you, Ryouta. There is no way that 'he' would be there, 'he' just isn't capable of it."_ There was a hint of smugness in his tone as he spoke from the other line. _"See, I stood corrected when I told you that you didn't need to worry about anything. Momoi and I have everything under control, I will contact you when we have more information regarding the senpais team."_ With that the line cut off.

"…I'm not capable?" Mused Kuroko, as he sat listening to their phone call in his office. "Ume, do I not look capable to you?" He asked the girl, the pink rabbit suit gone. She stood in her casual clothes.

Ume shook her head, "You look very capable, President." She told him emotionlessly, repeating the statement. Her eyes flickered out to stare out at the window, the day had gone by fast, just like how she had reacted when she first spotted the blonde Generation of Miracle member. Bugging his phone had been easy, all she needed to do was accidentally bump into him in the crowds as he was headed to the main building. Everything after that was simple.

Kuroko leaned back in his chair, he shrugged. "Oh well, I guess it'll just be a bigger shock for them then, when the incapable 'he', makes an appearance." He stated bluntly in amusement. "So, Kasamatsu…" His eyes flickered over to Ume, his attention fixed on what she was to say next.

"He had the choice to reveal your identity and existence to Kise-san, but did not choose to do it." She reported back to him. "That was a lucky call." Said Ume, her eyes studying Kuroko. Watching carefully for his reaction to the news. Was it just her, or did the blue haired teen look slightly dejected? "… unless it was your intention for him to actually discover your identity and find you?" She added, confused herself by her conclusion. 'Did he want to be found?' She wondered, curiously to herself.

Kuroko's lips formed a small smile, "Well, even if my identity was revealed earlier than we planned, it would not make much of a difference." Answered the phantom, admittingly. "Besides that, how are the plans going for our little trip?" He asked, his tone changed to one of excitement as a small smile adorned his lips. It was an event that he was looking forward to.

Ume paused for a moment, before she took out her phone, glancing down at the screen as she looked for the note she had made on it. "Good, everything is settled, now all we need to do is send out word about it." Informed Ume.

Kuroko nodded, "Send them out tonight." He turned his back to her as he stared out at the window, watching the sun set as the stars had begun to come out. "Now let me see how much you all have grown since the Interhigh…" muttered the teal haired teen. 'And let me show you the true strength of Lincoln.' He grinned.

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Imayoshi sighed, he had been looking forward to his summer holidays. Relaxing by the beach, exam free, assignment and stress free. No basketballers, no loud roommates (well same thing), but well… sometimes dreams don't always come through. His eyes flickered to the bulkier teen that stood next to him. His expression mirroring one of death and sadness. Okamura looked like he was trying to still recover from the fact that he had lost the sports car to a middle school student. He really did try hard to win it, and he was so close too (only three stamps off to be exact to the amusement of all the former captains). The glasses wearing teen's eyes flickered to his other side where another exhausted looking teen stood, only this time, he looked like he was simply just exhausted from being in the same place with them. "And just when I had decided to plan a vacation to the beach." Spoke up Imayoshi, trying to lighten the atmosphere around his former rivals. "They had to come and plan a training camp." He sighed.

"We don't have time to be idling around." Snapped Kasamatsu, his arms crossed as they waited in line to board the bus, that would take them to their undisclosed location for their training camp. He didn't understand why they had to travel to a new location when they could simply train at the Lincoln campus, the facilities were one of the best he had seen after all.

"We can't have prying eyes watching us train." Deadpanned Kuroko, the teen appearing beside Kasamatsu as the latter jumped slightly, answering his mental question. "Lincoln rents out their facilities, so the campus is open to guest who can loiter to places we would rather they not be at." He informed him, waiting patiently beside the teen in line, he was dressed from head to toe in Lincoln's baseball team's training track suit. "Ah, my transport has arrived." Mused the teal haired teen, his eyes flickering over to a Lincoln town car that arrived beside the bus. Wordlessly, Kuroko left their side as he entered the waiting car. Ume sat inside waiting, a clipboard in hand as she passed him a copy of the finalised training regime that he and the coach had agreed upon. His eyes scanned over its contents before he nodded to himself, as the car departed, leaving ahead of the bus, his eyes flickered out to where he watched the last few players board the deluxe vehicle. "… did you bring it?" He asked, his voice lower than usual, almost in a whisper.

Ume nodded, her eyes hooded as they flickered down to the bag by her feet. "Of course," answered the girl. "We never leave without it," said Ume. "Why… do you need it?" Her eyes studied him carefully, his posture calm as he rested his face against the window, his eyes looking out at the passing scenery… he seemed okay.

"No." He replied. "… Not right now." The last part came out in a whisper as he passed her back the clipboard, she hesitated for a moment before taking it, she fumbled with the item as Kuroko released his grip, pulling his hand back as they balled into a fist.

' _Just a little longer…'_

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"What did you say?" Asked Kasamatsu, he had heard him, but he just wanted to reaffirm that he heard Coach correctly.

The elder man looked up from the clipboard that Ume had previously passed him moments ago, "Get changed, we're going to start this training camp with a little match with the starter team and the Interhigh team." He told him.

"What are you waiting for, Kasamatsu-san?" Kuroko bluntly asked. "This is what you were waiting for, weren't you?" The teen was dressed in his own Lincoln basketball uniform, the white printed number 4 stood out on his chest, in contrast against the strong colours. Behind him, the steel grey eyed teen could clearly see that each member of the starting team in their Lincoln basketball uniforms, stretching as they prepared themselves for the oncoming match. "You wanted to know why we benched you, didn't you?" stated Kuroko. "Well, how about we show you instead with a little warm up match?" He could have sworn he saw his eyes sparkle slightly. It was obvious that Kuroko had just been itching to play them.

Kasamatsu nodded, his eyes turned back to meet with his team, the Interhigh team as they were labelled. Silently, they were all agreeing to this, after al – it was an opportunity to go head on with the Phantom King.

'Let's play some basketball.'

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 **Reviews are always welcomed! Stay tuned for the next chapter!**


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